My Challenge 1: Deficiencies
by DarkJadedRose
Summary: Regardless of Toad's outwards appearance, a human finds herself drawn to him for more than the obvious. A challenge to those who don't like the typical oc..popular character.
1. Toad the savior

Hey Guys, this is my attempt at being original. It's pretty rare to find a ToadOC fic and trust me, I looked and found one! Just one! So I have my OC and I figured it would be fun to use her and while I originally was gonna hook her up with Jono Starsmore, I decided to try out Toad first and do something special for my favorite green booger (then do Jono...sigh). I hope you guys enjoy it. I wanna make it as realistic and unmary suish as possible so I need feedback. Thanks for taking the time out to read, it doesn't have a specific plot yet, but it's all to give some love to Toad. I don't know if this is how you do a challenge but I'd like to challenge whoever to write a fic (a good one) with an Oc and an unloved or rarely mentioned character (i.e. Fred, Jamie...even Evan...{Hey, girls too, like Jean! She falls within the unloved character segment}) anyway if you're up for it, send me an e-mail and we can figure something out. Thanks! Read and Review. Oh yeah, and I have writer's block on my other fics, so while I'll finish them, I feel like putting up some new material, pause my butt!  
  
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Toad let out a yawn as he repeatedly changed the channels on the television with the crappy remote control. He was bored out of his mind. Suddenly a 'swish' was heard and instead of being in his hand, the remote somehow found itself in Pietro's pale fingers. Toad glared at him.  
  
"Hey, I was watching somethin' yo!" he called out, Pietro let out a giggle and shook his head.  
  
"Not-now-you-aren't-smelly," Pietro said and flipped the channels at a faster speed then Toad had been doing before. Angrily he stood up and made his way to the room, it wasn't like he didn't want to stand up for himself, but frankly he was too much of a coward at times to do so. So instead he lay on his bed, in his grungy room and counted the marks on his ceiling until it was a good time to leave.  
  
***  
  
Regina Cruz groaned as she felt herself being shaken out of oblivion.   
  
"Leave me alone!" she shouted and rolled over to her side. A second later she felt herself get pulled off of the bed and she landed on the hard, cold floor of her bedroom. Her twin brothers looked down at her with innocent looks on their faces.  
  
"You promised to take us to the mall," they said simultaneously. Regina rubbed her eyes and then it hit her...it was Saturday.  
  
"Oh no you didn't," she muttered. Her brothers looked into her dark eyes and squealed. They ran off trying to get away from her but she managed to tackle them and was about to give them the beating of their lives when she was pulled off by her collar. She looked up into the face of her father's.  
  
"What I told you 'bout fightin'?" he asked, his face was stern but she noticed the smile that tickled his mustache and pulled herself away. She went into the small bathroom but before closing the door she let out a ramble of curses much to her father's dismay. He turned to the twins who were giggling helplessly.  
  
"When she gets out of there you tell me, I'ma make sure that she remembers que me tiene que respetar!" he said, finishing in Spanish. The boys laughed again and went to get ready to go out.  
  
***  
  
After hearing a lecture on why she shouldn't use the word 'shit' and other curses around her little brothers, Regina stepped out of the house dressed simply. A white v-neck t-shirt with a pair of blue fitted jeans and rugged boots didn't do much for her slim figure; instead it made her look thinner. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her favorite hat with the Devil's logo on the front partially covered her face, exactly what she wanted.   
  
Because her block was so bad, she was forbidden from stepping out of the house at night and if she was going to go anywhere during the day, she'd have to take one of her three older brothers with her, meaning she never went out, since they didn't want to hang out with their 'little' sister. Luckily for her, she got a break that day since she had to baby- sit.  
  
She held her brothers hands and pushed them into the bus that would take them into Bayville mall. The kids were doing their best to annoy her and started to sing the theme song of 'Spider-Man'.  
  
"Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can, spins a web, jumps up high..." they sang loudly. She noticed the people glaring at the outrageous noise and she closed her eyes and took in a few breaths before relaxing. When they finished with that song, they continued on with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, followed by Super Human Samurai followed by Go Go Power Rangers etc. etc. It was a long ride.  
  
***  
  
They finally reached the mall where she found herself being taken to Funworld. Passing them each a ten dollar bill, she inserted her own money in the machine and got a load of coins back. Her first stop: Zombie Gore X. After playing a couple of rounds she went to order a pizza when she felt her shirt being lifted up, she didn't think anything of it until she felt someone stick their hand in her butt. She swiftly turned around and saw a prep behind her in sunglasses.  
  
"You friggin' bastard!" She called out and punched him in the face. The guy fell back and landed on top of a red head. Regina went and looked for her brothers, she stuck her hand in the back of her jean pocket and when she pulled it out it was covered in green gunk. "What the hell?"  
  
Her brothers came rushing over with a bunch of little tickets in their hands.  
  
"Together, we have seventy five," Aaron said. Jake nodded his head in glee. They left to buy some vampire teeth and whatever else they desired.  
  
"Can you tell me what that was about?" someone asked. She turned around and looked into the green eyes of the girl who was standing behind the dude with the glasses.  
  
"Is this yours?" Regina asked and plopped the left over goo onto the girl's palm.   
  
Jean let out a shriek and wiped it onto Scott's shirt. He gave her a dirty look and then shifted the gaze back on Regina.  
  
"No, that isn't ours," upon closer inspection at his shirt, his face contorted. "Yuck! This is Toad's!" he said. Regina stared off at him confused but she had enough with the mall and its preppy weirdoes.  
  
"Whatever just make sure I don't see you near me again or I'll whoop your ass," she said and went to the bathroom to wash up as her brothers waited for her outside, glaring at Scott.  
  
"Not very nice, is she?" Jean said, Scott nodded his head and then looked at his dirty shirt again. Jean blushed and hurriedly left the arcade followed by a fuming Scott.  
  
***  
  
Toad leaned back into the spot between the machine and the wall and sighed in relief. He had almost been caught. Sadly, the only thing she had in her pocket where bits of lint but he had managed to get enough to buy himself something to eat and he figured when the crowd went down he'd cop himself a couple of games to play on the system at home.  
  
He bought a hot dog and ignored the disgusted looks he received from the girl behind the counter and made his way to the benches where he saw the girl from the mall again. She was yelling at two kids who had managed to climb up a tree.  
  
"Get the hell down here!" she shouted. Toad snickered and watched as the kids swung themselves from limb to limb singing something about 'Spiderman'.  
  
"Weird," he muttered and continued to eat his food. He just watched as the girl continued to try to get her brothers down when he heard her scream. He moved a little closer and saw that one of the boys was hanging by his foot; his ankle was stuck between two thick branches.  
  
***  
  
"Regina! Regina I can't get out!" the boy sobbed. Regina's face paled and she saw that her other brother had managed to get safely down.   
  
"Stand over there Aaron and don't move," she said and stared up at her brother. She was afraid of heights, but she had heard the snap of his ankle and knew that it was broken. She was about to climb the tree when she saw something (or someone) hop over her head and onto a branch.   
  
***  
  
Toad gingerly crept over to the boy and noticed how small he was, he couldn't have been more then eight. Toad looked down at the foot and saw it hanging awkwardly. He noticed that while the branch looked thick, it was hollow. So he figured with a hard punch it would break. He pulled both his fist up and banged it on the weakest branch causing it to break.  
  
***  
  
Regina watched in horror as the branch broke and her brother fell straight to the ground. What happened next was unbelievable. A long, green tongue swooped down and tossed her brother back into the air. Then the owner of the tongue jumped high, grabbed her brother by the waist and landed safely on the ground.  
  
She just looked at her brother, barely glancing at his savior. She ran over and saw that he was beginning to hyperventilate; the sound of a siren was in the distance. She looked up, remembering the person who had gotten her brother safely to the ground but they were nowhere to be seen.  
  
She held her brother and forgot almost immediately about the person once again. The ambulance took her and the twins away.  
  
***  
  
Toad watched from a distance at the confused look on the girl's face. He didn't want her to make a scene when she saw WHAT had helped her out. He saw them go into the ambulance and made his way back home where he was once again the object of ridicule.  
  
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Okay guys, end of chapter one. Review please! I hope you guys enjoyed it. I don't own the Hockey Cap, GO DEVIL'S! Or anything else familiar, just my Oc and her family :D Please tell me if your up for the challenge!  
  
Next: Regina finds out exactly who the savior was  
  
Que me tiene que respetar: that she needs to respect me 


	2. The Invitation

I'm surprised that I got one review, let alone so many. ^ ^.  
  
Shout Outs:  
  
Scitzy: my first reviewer ^ ^, yeay! Lylas  
  
S3XuAl-ArTfOrM: cool name, the poem was hot.  
  
Annikask8s2005: Regina says thanks. I'm glad u like the fic, it was sort of weird writing it  
  
Brawn: Yeah Toad! He rocks!  
  
The Uncanny R-Man: It's pretty whack but it was too long in itself, the dinner should prove to be interesting though *kisses*  
  
Persona the ITG: The name of the fic was 'A Slimy Christmas', I'ma read it soon out of curiosity. Thanks for reviewing  
  
Electric Fire: Yeah! My first challenge receiver, Large hug!  
  
Lyranfan: ahh, Fred and Tabitha, that is totally original, and she did flirt with him when she first went to the BoM house. Yes, Toad is taken by Regina now...this is totally disturbing   
  
Also someone picked up on the challenge! It's a Jamie OC called 'Don' Wanna Grow Up' by 'Electric Fire'. I read it and it's good. So if anyone else is in just e-mail me, I'd really like for more people to join.  
  
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Later that night Regina sat on the beige couch and recounted what had happened with her brother to her father. He hadn't been angry with her instead he had ordered in a couple of pizza pies and rented them a movie on PPV. Aaron was leaning against Jake and Jake was grinning like a maniac, staring at his white cast, it already had ten signatures. Her older brothers were lounging around on the floor and her father was sitting next to her and twirling his finger through her short ponytail.  
  
"You should let it grow, guys like girls with long, pretty hair," he commented. Regina rolled her eyes. The worst thing about not having a mom was having your dad give you advice on how to get boys to like you, now that was creepy.  
  
Her mom had run off soon after the twins were born. It hadn't affected her much since she had understood that her mom was a lazy woman who didn't care about anyone but herself. Unfortunately her father hadn't grasped that image yet. "You're mother had long, pretty hair. Every guy wanted her, and I was the lucky one," he said.  
  
"Dad, you're pathetic," she said irritably and went to her room where she locked the door. She looked into the mirror. She wasn't that bad, in fact on a good day she looked pretty, that day she looked pretty...pretty busted. She hadn't made too much of an effort to beautify herself. She felt exotic at times but she knew her flaws too. She was tall, bony and unfashionable. Shrugging her shoulders she got ready for bed ignoring the little tug at her heart.  
  
***  
  
Toad was about to beat the second stage of his new game, Zombie's Revolution, when he heard a knock on the front door of the BoM. He paused the game and opened it up to find the Professor in his wheelchair and Logan standing behind him with an annoyed look on his face.  
  
"Hey professor, what ya doin' here?" he asked. He didn't think about inviting them in until Logan growled. "Uh...ya wanna come in?" he asked nervously and stepped back.  
  
The professor wheeled in and Todd glanced nervously up the stairs. The professor smiled at his thoughts.  
  
"No need to worry Todd, I've caused them to fall asleep."  
  
"Okay, so what are ya doin' here?" he asked, the professor looked first at Logan. They appeared to be having a conversation.  
  
{*I still think you're wrong Chuck, this kid wouldn't do anythin' for anyone* Logan said and mentally shook his head. The professor on the other hand took a moment to go through Toad's mind.  
  
*Actually Logan, I believe that this time you are wrong,* he replied}  
  
"Scott mentioned to me about how you saved a human this afternoon Todd," he said. Toad shifted from one foot in another in nervousness, a slight blush developing on his grimy skin.  
  
"How'd he know that?" Toad asked. The professor smiled, trying to get Toad to relax but it was hard with Logan looking at him like he just came out of a sewer.  
  
"He and Jean had been going to the car when they heard the screams, they saw the young lady but before they could do anything they had seen what you did, I have a proposition for you," he said. Toad relaxed for the first time and snorted.  
  
"What ya want me to join the goodies?" he asked mockingly.  
  
"Well, yes," he said. Toad shook his head.  
  
"I don't think so cue-ba...Professor," he finished at Logan's glare. The professor sighed deeply.  
  
"All right then, but the offer is still open, anytime you want it," he added. Toad nodded his head and ushered them out.  
  
"By the way Professor X, make sure no one spreads the word. I have a rep to maintain, yo," he said. The professor smiled a little and left. Toad leaned against the closed door and sighed in relief. He was already a freak; he didn't need things to get worst.  
  
***  
  
Lance pressed against the horn for a while and hoped that Kitty would still be able to go out. For some odd reason he had fallen asleep in the tub and he was now twenty minutes late. He noticed a brunette run out of the front door and run straight through the gates and into his jeep.  
  
"Hey Kitty," he said and leaned in for a kiss, instead he kissed her teeth since she was grinning so wide. "Okay, what's up?" he asked, knowing what the smile meant.  
  
"Didn't Toad tell you?" she asked. When he shook his head she grinned, loving to be the first to spread the news. "Well, Scott told the Professor, who told Logan, who told Storm, who told Hank, who was checking up on Kurt cause he like, totally went berserk in the danger room, who told Rogue who didn't tell me anything but I was in the room," she took in a deep breath, "And it turns out that Toad saved somebody's life today, isn't that weird?"  
  
Lance's eyebrows furrowed, it was weird. One thing about Toad was he almost NEVER put his life on the line. His mind was on that all night until he finally ended his date with Kitty and got home, there was Toad still playing his game.  
  
"Hey Toad, what's this I hear about you helping out humans?" Lance asked, and noticed Toad's fingers stop skimming over the controller. His eyes popped out of his head. "Is it true?" he asked.  
  
"Sort of," he said simply and made his way to his room. The knocks on his door that night went non-stop and he figured they all knew. He was in for it in the morning.  
  
***The next day***  
  
Regina pulled favorite cap back down and pulled at her red t-shirt. She peeked around the door of her room and saw no one in the halls. She ran out of the apartment and made her way to the bus. She grumbled a little as she paid the fair with the two dollars she 'borrowed' from her younger brother's piggy bank. It sucked being seventeen and not allowed to even leave her house un-chaperoned.  
  
She leaned against the back of the bus and made a short prayer.  
  
"Please let him be there," she said quietly. She wanted to find the person who had saved her brother, at least to thank them. She climbed out and went over to the place where her brother had hung, she looked at the broken branch that still lied on the floor and shivered as she remembered her brother's cry. She felt even more determined to find him now.  
  
***  
  
Toad rolled out of the bed and scratched his head as he tried to remember where he was, he had dreamt about what he had done again. A little hint of pride fluttered in his soul but he squashed it down knowing that no good deed he'd do would balance out what he was. He left his room and got ready for the day. He grabbed a quick snack and hoped to head out but he was blocked by the slim figure of their 'leader'.  
  
"What d'ya want?" he asked, his lips curved into a sneer.  
  
"I wanna know if it's true," Pietro said. His arms were crossed and he tapped his foot rapidly. Todd rolled his pale eyes and tried to get out of the way but Pietro blocked his move and shook his head. "No-no, is-it- true?" he asked.  
  
"Ask Lance, he knows," he said and quickly hopped off. He hopped out and tried to decide what to do with his day. He figured it wouldn't hurt to go back to the mall. By the time he got there he noticed some of the X- geeks shopping around and made himself quickly scarce by going towards the park, exactly where he had saved the boy.  
  
He groaned when he saw who was there. She turned around and he saw her head cock to the side, her arms folded across her chest in impatience, her stance reminded him a little of Pietro when he was irritated. He was about to hop away when she called out to him.  
  
"Hey!" she said and ran over. Toad stepped back again but the girl had quickly made it over. "Wait, please. I just need to ask you a question," she said. Toad waited and stood up to his full height, he was about an inch taller then her. He leaned back against the wall. The girl stood in front of him. She looked at him curiously but then spoke, a little more hesitantly then before.  
  
***  
  
"Um, I was wondering if you knew anything about any mutants around here," Regina said and saw the shocked look on his face. She figured he had to be one with his weird appearance, she wrinkled her nose a little at the smell emanating from him but she refrained from saying anything about it.  
  
"Maybe, why d'ya wanna know?" He asked. Regina's eyebrows narrowed, she pulled off her hat and ignored the fact that she probably had hat hair.  
  
"He saved my brother and I wanted to thank him," she said exasperatedly.  
  
"Ah damn," he muttered and looked a little over her shoulder. Regina turned her face to see a small group walk over. "Do you mind takin' a walk?" he said. Regina was about to tell him to 'fluke off' but she saw the two kids from the day before and grimaced.  
  
"Nah, let's go," she said and they walked towards the park. She looked over at him and saw how he looked a little uncomfortable and wondered what was going on, until she noticed his legs were bending automatically, it looked as if any second he would hop away. Then a thought came into her head. "It was you?" she asked.  
  
***  
  
Toad stammered; he wanted to run. He looked at the girl and almost did at the look of shock on her face. He was sure she was disgusted. It wasn't modesty that held him back but fear.  
  
"I-I-n-no, it wasn't, I don't even know you," he said and started to walk away but the girl grabbed his arm.  
  
"Yes it was," she said and didn't pull away until he looked at her. She noticed a little closer at the pale almost white green tinge of his skin and almost started to smile at the weirdness of it, she felt a little embarrassed at the dumb reaction. "Thank you, you have no idea how grateful we are," she said. Toad shifted from foot to foot.  
  
"No problem yo, but I gotta go now, see ya," he said and was going to hop away when she grabbed him again.  
  
"Wait, we'd like you to come over for dinner tomorrow," she said, and knew she would get it when she got home and told her dad she had invited a stranger to the house. Toad gave her a weird look.  
  
"You must be buggin'," he said and shook his head; he laughed bitterly but saw the sincerity in her eyes. "You kiddin' me right?"  
  
***  
  
Regina was ready to punch him in the nose, she did not feel like begging for that stinky ass boy to come over and she told him so.  
  
"Look, you either come or not, I'm already in deep shit for coming over here without permission so you better make my trip worth while!" She said, her normal attitude resurfacing and pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket. She wrote down her address and number and passed it to him. "Be there tomorrow at six," she said and left.  
  
***  
  
Toad stared at her from behind and didn't know what to say, he just stood there and barely noticed the look of complete and utter flabbergastation on the X Men's faces when they saw the girl give Toad her digits.  
  
"Did she do what I think she did?" Kitty asked, no one could answer.  
  
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Damn that was a long chapter! Geez! Well, review and tell me what u think, plus join my challenge thingy!  
  
Next: Toad gets ready for the dinner and the brotherhood suffer from cardiac arrest 


	3. Baths and Dresses: The World's Most Sho...

Oh ^ ^ more reviews, you guys are awesome! I forgot to mention my muse for the fic, it was 'Toad's Wicked Tongue' by 'Chronicles Bailey' Here are the shout outs!  
  
The Uncanny R-Man: They're two of the weirdest people I know...now I'm sad, Regina is me in Regina form, I am the weirdest person alive *Wahhh!*  
  
Red_Angel_Wings: Yeay! He's gonna get some! O.O I'm going to take a long bath...and think about what I said as I scrub my body ridiculously hard trying to cleanse my now dirty soul  
  
Sevish: Chap 1: Hey, by the time you like Toad, I'll probably love him like I love the other good looking X Men, and Acolytes and Brotherhood and Morlocks....scratch that...not them, so we'll console each other after our mental defamation.  
  
Chap 2: Regina is cool ^ ^ well she is if you meant hardcore in a good way...either way its true, I didn't make her too violent though, I figured that's one aspect I prefer not emulate in my character  
  
Annikask8s2005: Toad is cool, he just has hygienic problems. Read on for Regina's name for him, she's grimy.  
  
Possom2009: yeay! Everyone he's going for the challenge! As soon as you have it up let me know so I can announce it!  
  
DemonRogue13: Thank you! I'm glad you do, hopefully it gets better  
  
PoisonedCHAOS: Slime...Kinky, well whatever does you're diddle, lol, Regina says not to tell Warren or she'll lock Chaos in a room with Logan and no doors or electrical appliances  
  
Zero-Vision: I know...I can't believe Reggie gave it to him...she is buggin' out!  
  
Scitzy: Yeay! You read it, I miss you! Ttytomorrow. Lylas. School sux!  
  
Oh yeah and everything by Blackfeather has Todd and Fred with OC's in it. I forgot to mention that. ****************************************************************************  
  
The second Regina got home she was greeted with the yelling of her father.  
  
"D'ya know how worried I was 'bout you? Don't you care? What were you thinkin'? Answer me!" He seemed to be waiting for an answer so Regina opened her mouth to tell him what happened. "I swear Regina if I hear one word come out your mouth I'm goin' to bend you over my knees."  
  
"Oh come on Dad!"  
  
"No me cuques!" {Don't tempt me} He said. Regina crossed her arms and glared. "You're grounded, go to your room."  
  
"He's coming tomorrow!" she shouted before slamming her door closed. Her father slammed it back open.  
  
"Who?" he asked, his face still contorted in anger. Regina's eyes widened, she realized that she had no idea what Mr. Stinky's name was. The phone rang.  
  
"Reggie! The phone," her eldest brother yelled.  
  
"Comin'," she said but got blocked by her father.  
  
"I said you were punished," he said and Regina frowned.  
  
"This sucks!" She said and had a thought. "But what if it's him?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The boy!"  
  
"I'm confused!"  
  
"Me too!"  
  
"Take the damn phone!"  
  
"Thank you daddy," Regina said and kissed his cheek before running to the kitchen.  
  
"One day he's gonna knock you," her brother said laughing as he passed her the phone. Regina gave him the finger and took the phone.  
  
"Hello, House of Porn, we love porn. How can I help you?" She said and heard silence. "Hello?"  
  
"Um, hi, this is, uh, Todd, from the mall," he said.  
  
"Your names Todd? So what's up?" she asked.  
  
"Uh, I was wonderin' if ya were serious 'bout tomorrow," Toad said. He checked to make sure everyone was still in the living room.  
  
"Yeah, I was," she said and started getting things ready for dinner that night. She didn't say anything for a while instead listened to the music from the radio, Toad got nervous.  
  
"So, um, do you always answer the phone like that?"  
  
"Yeah, either that or 'Reggie's strip joint, what size rack?'" Regina started cracking up remembering the time it was her grandmother on the other line. Toad stared at the phone in disbelief.  
  
"Uh, okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," he said.  
  
"Cool talk to you soon, bye."  
  
***  
  
Toad shook his head and hung up the phone. He turned around to see Pietro right behind him.  
  
"Toady! You-got-some-'splainin'-to-do!"  
  
***  
  
Regina hung up the phone and turned to her father.  
  
"Regina! You got some 'splainin' to do!" her father said seriously, she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Ah Dad! Just leave me alone! You hungry?"  
  
***  
  
The next afternoon the majority of the brotherhood sat quietly in the living room. They couldn't believe what they heard in the bathroom upstairs...water was running. Why it was shocking? Cause Toad was under the running water.  
  
"If all the rain drops were lemon drops and gum drops, oh what a rain that would be!" He sang as he rubbed shampoo into his hair. "Standing outside with my mouth open wide..."  
  
"Are you guy's positive that it's not the first of the month? Pietro asked.  
  
"Nope," Fred commented, "One more week to go."  
  
They then heard the sink running and constant gargling. They headed straight for the bathroom when they heard the door open.  
  
"Toad-what-are-you-doing?' Pietro asked.  
  
"Gettin' ready," Toad said and opened his closet. Moths flew out and he almost swiped one before remembering that he had just brushed his teeth....twice. He noticed the three rugged changes of clothes he had and scratched his dirty (unliterally at this point) blonde hair. "Geez, I got nothin' to wear!"  
  
Pietro zipped over with a fabric measuring tape and took measurements of Toad from every angle. "Got it! Be back in five minutes!" Pietro left and the second Toad finished brushing his hair, Pietro was back with a black suit and olive green button down. "It brings out your eyes!" Pietro said as he batted his lashes.  
  
"Thanks yo!" Toad said. Everyone left the room as he changed and then he was ready to go.  
  
***  
  
"NO! NO! NO!" Regina shouted. She stared at her bed and at the horrid sight that had met her after her shower.  
  
"You're not invitin' someone here and lookin' like a hoodlum, you will wear that!" Her father shouted. On her bed was a black cowl neck dress he bought that in fact was quite pretty but she still didn't want to wear it.  
  
"No dad, he already saw me in my regular clothes why do I have to wear that?!" she whined. Her father stood there glaring at her and she glared back. Eventually when she saw he wouldn't give in she yelled and kicked him out of the room to change.  
  
***  
  
Toad managed to get through the neighborhood, he was a little nervous since Bayville wasn't as crowded. He got to the door and adjusted his pants while straightening up; he heard his vertebrae pop and winced uncomfortably. He adjusted the rose bouquet that he had bought...with stolen money but he bought it nonetheless and knocked on the door.  
  
A very angry girl opened it. Toad looked around wondering where Regina was but he gazed appreciatively at the figure before him. Her hair was curled around her shoulders and she had a thin dress that just barely passed her knees. The only thing that disturbed him was the fact that her eyebrows were furrowed making her done up face look extremely pissed off.  
  
"REGINA! STOP BEIN' RUDE!" A mans voice shouted.  
  
"HI TODD! THANKS FOR COMING! MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME!" Regina shouted back. Toad cocked a brow and walked in, he gave her the bouquet silently and she looked at it curiously before giving him a soft smile. "Never got flowers before; thanks." She said and the annoyed look slipped away. Toad grinned and looked around.  
  
"Nice place," he said. Regina shrugged.  
  
"Eh, we try. You hungry?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah," Toad said and she led him to the kitchen. She served him some food and they were about to eat when her father came in. Toad didn't notice the glares her father was giving her.  
  
"Hi dad," she said and when Toad stood up and turned around he was greeted with a smiling face.  
  
"Hello Regina, and you must be Todd, I want to thank you for saving my son." He said in perfect English. Toad smiled sheepishly, unaccustomed to gratefulness.  
  
"It was nothin' yo, just doin' what's right," he said and almost grimaced at the irony of it.  
  
"No no, please do not be modest, it meant a lot to us. Now enjoy your meal. Regina I am taking Lori back home and will be back shortly," he said with a smile and left. Regina rolled her eyes, Lori was her youngest eldest brother's girlfriend and the one who had done her makeup, and she was tempted to rub the eyeliner right off!  
  
"He's trying to hook us up," she said. Toad gave her a look of shock as he attempted to eat with a fork.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cause he's a crack. Wanna watch a movie?" she asked. Toad gave her a look and she motioned for him to continue. "Come on dude," she said with her mouth full and grabbed her plate and soda and took it to the living room. Toad followed and they sat by each other in silence as they watched 'History of the World'.  
  
They laughed all through the night. At one point, after Regina took their plates to the kitchen, she threw off her shoes and leaned her back into him trying to get comfortable.  
  
"Ya mind?" She asked. Toad coughed into his hand and shook his head. A second passed before a door opened.  
  
"Regina and To-odd, sittin' in a tree..." the twins sang. They hadn't been allowed to leave their room because they had put a red t-shirt in the whites and now they were bothering her. Embarrassed Regina ran after her brothers and locked them in their room. She came back to see Todd getting ready to go.  
  
"Sorry for leaving so soon, but it's late," he said. Regina frowned.  
  
"I guess," she said and went to lead him out of the door. "Hey, when you gonna invite me to meet your family?" she asked. Toad's eyes widened.  
  
"That may not be a good idea."  
  
"Trust me, nobodies family is more messed up then mine. Let me know," she said and waved goodbye before slamming the door shut. Toad stood on the other side and stared at the door. He was beginning to wonder if Pietro had paid her to give him attention.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
Damn it! It's mad long and crappy! Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed it better then I did. Review please! Oh yeah, and the way Regina answers the phone is how me and my brother's do it in the house. Just change the Reggie to Sam or Pete. Enough nonsensical information ^_^ (stupid anime eyes!) I own nothing but History of the World is mad funny, watch it if u get the chance! 


	4. Regina's stupid personality traits! Pis...

I hate typos! . I just reloaded chapter three for three heavy mistakes, writing she instead of he, and making Regina and her dad say Toad! Oh well, it is corrected. Thanks for the reviews, here come the shout outs!  
  
Red-Angel-Wings: I just re-read it and I was mad, I fixed it up though, it wasn't meant to be that way, I put it there by mistake. She'll be meeting the BoM in the next chapter, I feel sort of sorry for her, but she and Fred have something utterly in common so maybe she won't have too much of an issue with him  
  
The Uncanny R-Man: Pietro hits on everyone, but that's happening next chapter. Its fun to answer the phone like that unless it's the wrong person...then its not fun at all  
  
Annikask8s2005: Yeah, it's true. Regina is very abrupt. Hopefully she loosens up with Toad a little more.  
  
Sevish: Awe! Reggie thinks you're cool too. Now she has a big head, anyway, I'm glad you liked it. You might not like her in this chapter; she acts funky towards our favorite amphibian, I don't know why she (or I anywho) act like that...girls are weird  
  
Possom2009: Finally! Yes, it was a typo and it's fixed, I'm sorry! Regina is going to the hood in the next chapter! I want to think up some fun stuff to happen and I was too rushed to do it in this one. Yeah, ur fic is awesome, I'ma announce it at the bottom.  
  
Agent-G: I didn't know Red Witch had any, I'll check it out soon, I'm glad you like it. It's awful hard to write a romance when you have no experience with the character  
  
DemonRogue13: yeay! I'm glad you did! You make me so happy ^_^  
  
Wolvies Gal 1: I just put it in my favorites and I will definitely be reading on it and reviewing! Thanks for the encouragement on their personalities, I have never really written about Toad except making him a pain in the ass so it's a little difficult making him into my little love biscuit  
  
Scitzy: Thank you! I miss you, I'm mad school gets in the way of us talking I can't wait till Spring Break  
  
Devil_Raptor: Thanks! I'm getting into Toad write now while I wean away from my Kitty phase, I'll be sure to read those stories too! Do you write?  
  
Chronicles Bailey: Chap 1: Thank you ^_^  
Chap 2: No...I don't even know why I put 'flabbergastation' in there!  
  
Electric Fire: OMG! I did that to my grandma, and my church pastor, boy did I get yelled at! Better late then never!  
  
I have more people who joined my challenge, yeay!  
  
Possom2009: "A Tale of Two Toads" (It is awesome, and totally original since I've never seen one like this)  
  
Sevish: "Perfect By Nature" (This one has the most surprising pairing which makes it way cool so you guys have to read it, action even from the start)  
  
Electric Fire: "Don' Wanna Grow Up" (This one is so cool and it's sweet with one of the less used X Men)  
  
So yeah guys read these and if I missed anyone else let me know and I'll announce it! **********************************************************************  
  
As soon as Toad opened the front door he was met by a blonde, a brunette and a silver haired fool. He groaned as he made his way into the house. The others continued to crowd around him as he went up to his room.  
  
"Well, what happened?" Lance finally asked. Toad shrugged as he unbuttoned his shirt and threw to a corner much to Pietro's dismay.  
  
"Nothin' much, she liked the flowers but she looked a little pissed when she opened the door. Then she gave me some food that tasted betta then bugs, yo." The others gave him an incredulous looked and he laughed in rememberance. "I know, anyway, and then we went to the livin' room and watched a movie."  
  
"What movie?" Fred asked.  
  
"Austin Powers, the second one. So then she did the weirdest thing," he stopped fussing and stared at the wall in shock. "She leaned against me...she didn't move every time I sat next to her and she didn't give me nasty looks or nothin', she actually sat closer to me when she had the chance."  
  
"She what?" Lance asked shocked. Toad shook his head; the reality of it was beginning to fade at the disbelief from the crew.  
  
"Hard to believe, huh? She told me she wanted to visit."  
  
"I-can't-believe-it! She-can't-come-here! Father-would-kill-me-if- we-had-a-human-in-the-house!"  
  
"I told her she wouldn't like it but she insisted," Toad said exasperatedly.  
  
"Does she have our number?" Fred asked. Toad perked up.  
  
"Nah, she doesn't! That's perfect; I just won't call her again!"  
  
"Then good," Lance said. "There's no way she can reach us."  
  
RING!  
  
"Yeay! That's-for-me! Gotta-date-tonight!" Pietro said and zoomed away, a second later he zoomed back. "Toad...it's for you," he said slowly.  
  
'What?" Toad asked as he made his way to the kitchen. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Todd, its Reggie."  
  
Toad stared at the phone before speaking again. "Uh, hi, how'd ya get this number?" he asked, he knew he sounded a little grimy but he didn't know what was going on.  
  
"Caller I.D.," she said.  
  
"Oh, uh, so what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothin, just bored. I figured I had your number here already and I might as well call," she said. Toad wondered what she was smoking.  
  
***  
  
Regina peeked around the corner of the kitchen to ensure everyone was in their room. She honestly did not want her family to catch her talking to a guy. That was suicide.  
  
"So, how you doing?" she asked and bit her nails, she knew she was being boring but couldn't help herself, she didn't know what to say.  
  
"Fine, I got home a little while ago," he said. Regina mentally cursed at herself for dialing his number.  
  
"That's nice. Well I don't know much about you, so tell me," she said, being naturally demanding. She cursed some more and prayed that the earth would open and eat her alive.  
  
"Well uh, the truth is that I don't have a family...I didn't lie but I didn't mention it either. My moms abandoned me when I was eight and I was raised in coupla foster homes. Then this lady took me and three other guys in," he finished.  
  
"I see," she said stupidly.  
  
"Uh yeah, what about you? Your dad's nice, he speaks English better then you do," he said and laughed a little. "But I didn't see your moms."  
  
"Oh my mom...she's dead," Regina lied.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said feeling sorry for touching a sensitive subject.  
  
"Don't worry 'bout it, it doesn't matter to me," she said and sighed. "Look I..."  
  
"I was wonderin' if ya wanted to go to the movies with me tomorrow," Toad interrupted. Regina looked at the phone and smiled, her smiled deepened into a grin. Toad on the other hand groaned inwardly when he heard a click, meaning that someone had been on the other line. The stumbling down the stared bore that it was on his end.  
  
"Really? Well, sure," she said. "Oh shit! I got tutoring tomorrow!" Toad's face slackened and he figured the night before was a one time thing.  
  
"Well its fine, I'll just-."  
  
"Ah fluke it! I'll meet you at the mall at twelve, I have to go now. Can't wait till tomorrow!" The other line went dead. Toad gingerly laid the phone on the cradle and without turning around answered their question.  
  
"She said yes." No one said a word, only a distant buzzing sound was heard then a smack as his tongue snapped out.  
  
"This won't last," Pietro said.  
  
***  
  
The next morning Regina opened her closet and sighed as she attempted to find something to wear. She grimaced at her stupidity and wondered if all girls reacted that way on a da-outing with a guy.  
  
"He smells, he smells, he smelled!" she mumbled as she pulled out the nicest things she had to wear. It was difficult to do so with such little experience. She pulled out burgundy draw string dress pants and a fitted black v-neck top; her father had bought it for her birthday. The tags were still on them. She pulled the outfit on with a pair of black diesels and groaned at her reflection on the mirror until she got a glimpse of her butt, then she smiled.  
  
"If papi saw you now I swear the heavens would open and angels would descend singing 'Hallelujah'." She turned to see her eldest brother smirking.  
  
"Look, ya monkey, if you say anything I'll break you into tiny pieces."  
  
"All right, all right! Leave your hair loose," he threw in. She rolled her eyes but the second he left she pulled her hair out of her pony tail and combed out the ripples. She then poked her eye a few times as she put on brown liner. Convinced that she looked descent she stepped out of the house. School was hell until eleven.  
  
***  
  
Toad skipped the bath but at least brushed his teeth that morning before pulling on some 'clean' clothes. He made his way straight to the mall. He tried to find Regina but couldn't see her anywhere. 'Figures', he thought, assuming it was foul play. No surprise that he was the butt of the joke.  
  
Then he saw her trying to pull away from two guys. They were both pretty thick and had both her arms so she couldn't do anything. She was cursing up a storm.  
  
"Leave her alone," he said and made his way over. His heart was thumping with fear. He hated this, he didn't want to do anything, he was afraid, but he knew that she could get hurt no matter how tough she thought she was.  
  
"And what you gonna about it Mutie?"  
  
"This," Toad said and he spit into the guys face before knocking him in the mouth. The guy let go of Regina and pulled at the hardening gloop. The other guy was about to hit Toad when Regina kicked him in the balls. The guy cried out and Toad grabbed Regina and yanked her through the mall.  
  
"That hurts!" he said to her, imagining the pain.  
  
"Good," she said and they finally stopped. She looked up at him and smiled, Toad noticed that her black eyes narrowed almost disappearing when she grinned. "Thanks," she looked at him expectantly. His right foot rubbed his left foot and he crossed his arms behind his back.  
  
"What movie you wanna see?"  
  
***  
  
Toad shifted in his seat and as soon as Regina laughed again he looked her way. No matter how many times he heard it, it still shocked him to his toes. She snorted. He had never heard a female snort so horribly in his lifetime.  
  
When the movie was halfway over she had pulled the arm of the chair in and leaned back into him, putting her feet on top of the open front seat. She adjusted herself and took in a deep breath before relaxing into his chest. Toad almost stiffened (1) but managed to get himself under control, he had never been so close to a girl.  
  
"You know, you smell way better now then you did the day I invited you to my house," she said and Toad wondered if the girl ever had something pleasing come out of her mouth. "Whatever you did you should do more often," she added.  
  
"I bathed," he said simply and looked down at her, she looked up at him and smiled, and he grinned back, showing even yellow teeth. She wondered what color he would be if his mutation hadn't affected his coloring but then brushed it off her mind. She frankly didn't care.  
  
Toad ignored the movie while she breathed.  
  
***  
  
The movie ended and it was too late for a snack. Toad realized that the day was over as they stood at her bus stop.  
  
"Hey, um, if ya still wanna come to the house, you can come on Saturday. I could pick you up and take you back home...if you want."  
  
"Great," Regina said excitedly.  
  
"Good, I just wanna warn ya that everyone in the house is like me."  
  
"What? They have an obscenely long tongue," she teased.  
  
"Nah, they're mutants."  
  
"Fine by me, bye," she said and abruptly entered the bus leaving Toad behind.  
  
'We're gonna have to talk about that,' he thought and made his way back home...for a bath.  
  
***************************************************************** 1: not in that way! I mean his body, like whole body ya pervs! Review ya'll 


	5. At the 'Hood house hold Part 1

Hey guys! You're still here? Sorry for the late update, I was having problems uploading but I found a new way to do it, yeay! Shout out time!  
  
Persona the ITG: Regina at the BoM house, I don't even know what's going to happen, I haven't started writing. I can't wait though, I'd like to see Fred, Pietro's and Lance's reactions, even though I think it would be obvious.  
  
Red-Angel-Wings: Yeay Toad! Let's have a dance party *starts doing running man* Toad *wheeze* is awesome!  
  
Shadowed Smiles: Chap 1: Danke! I'm glad the intro worked to draw you into my realm ;) Chap 2: I'm glad you liked my OC, I'm trying to make her non-mary suish but at the same time not overtly crappy Chap 3: Yeah, that exactly what I thought, oh mah goodness! Chap 4: The rest is coming up! Would you like fries with that?  
  
DemonRogue13: I'ma complete pervert to the next power, so I have to admit that I have the tendency of thinking the wrong way ^_^ that's why I added that  
  
The Uncanny R-Man: NO ONE IS GETTING KICKED IN THE BALLS! But I'm sure you'll enjoy it, hopefully it's good enough for u :P  
  
Possom2009: Toad bathing once out of time, is shocking in itself…but again?! I'm trying to make him as clean as possible…a lil disturbing, eh?   
  
Electric Fire: Brother's tend to say the worst things, that's why us as the sisters have the write to hit them with random purses or spiked heels. *sigh* I love being a girl, those are the quirks! Toad is much deeper then we think…ah! I'm getting cornified!  
  
Poisoned Chaos: …When I go to the movies I actually watch the movie, why should I pay ten bucks to miss the movie? For that we go to the backseat for free! Anyway, I doubt we'll be seeing any sex in this fic *eye twitching commences* anyway, maybe they'll have a fluffy moment _ awww!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"DAD! I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!" Regina shouted. Her father came running in.  
  
"What the hell do ya mean?" he asked; he had bought her enough clothes to keep them on laundry duty for a week if she ever decided to wear them.  
  
"Where are my jeans?" she asked and then peered around her closet door as her father backed away. "I hate you!" she shouted and ran after him, he grabbed the keys and left the house. Laughter filled the air while her brothers watched her in her pajama's trying to find something 'suitable' to wear. "This isn't funny!"  
  
"Oh, come on Reggie, you didn't really think he was going to let you go out on a date looking like a 'hoodlum' do you?" her brother asked. She sent him a glare before going back in her room to find something else to wear. Then she remembered something and came back to the living room.  
  
"It's not a date shit head!" They laughed at her as she went back to her room.  
  
***  
  
The Brotherhood boys stood in the middle of the glistening floor and stared in awe at the beauty their house had become. The floor was spotless, the couch had been mended as best as it could, and the air smelled like a mixture of lemonade and wild berries. The sight almost made them cry. Toad buttoned the top of his new shirt and tried to fix his hair.  
  
"Touch anythin' and die," was all he said. Everyone's eyes bugged out. He stepped out of the house and Pietro slowly let his finger graze the white wall. He screamed as goop landed on his face. "That goes for all of you." The rest nodded and he once again left.  
  
***  
  
Toad adjusted his pants and stretched out a little before knocking on the door. He smiled when one of the twins opened it.  
  
"Hi Todd, I'm Jake, Wanna come in? Regina's getting dressed. She wants to look pretty for your house. Do you live in a house? Do you like baseball? I hate baseball but I like Hockey. Regina likes Hockey." And he went on and on and on. He led Toad to the living room and finally left. Toad took a breather when the kid came back again.  
  
"Hi Todd, I'm Aaron. Do you like Regina? Regina gave me a wedgie. She thinks you're cool. She wrote your name in her notebook. What's your last name? Do you like Regina? Dad likes you, he said you were nice. Mom's coming tonight but Regina doesn't know, that's why she can go out. Don't tell her," he ended and left, leaving Toad confused and not understanding a word said.  
  
"Hi Todd, I was wond-," Jake started.  
  
"Just leave him alone, geez," Regina said as she walked and shook her head. "You ready?" she asked and at his nod began to walk out not waiting for him to follow. He groaned and decided that that evening he'd let her know about something called manners.  
  
"Uh, ya look pretty," he said as they walked to the bus and she looked at him and blushed a little before giving herself a mental kick.  
  
"I think you're lying…but thanks anyway," she said and waited for another compliment. 'Oh hell no!' she thought, 'I am such a girl!'  
  
"No really you look pretty. It brings out your, uh, eyes and stuff," he said. 'Real smooth!' he thought to himself. Regina beamed and ran her fingers through her hair before remembering to compliment him. His black button down and trousers gave him an elegant flair and she was glad that her father had forced her to dress in the slim beige dress.  
  
"I think you look cute," she said. "Shit, I didn't mean that, I meant. I meant that you looked handsome and you know, ah crap!" she mumbled. Toad looked at her and a grin spread across his face. A girl had told him he looked cute, psh, somebody had told him he looked cute, period! The wind blew and he saw her eyes squint and since he lacked a jacket he put an arm around her shoulder. She looked straight at him since, they barely had any height difference and smiled.  
  
'God bless deodorant,' was the only thing in his brain.  
  
***  
  
The boys where washed and dressed when they heard the door being unlocked. Fred was eating from one of the large boxes of pizza that Toad had ordered, Lance was tuning his guitar as he sat by the phone waiting for Kitty to call and Pietro had been upstairs primping for Toad's date. He had raced downstairs and opened the door.  
  
His taste relied on the petite, busty, blonde and beautiful. At that moment he was staring at a tall, dark girl who was real pretty but slim for his taste, did it matter….no.  
  
"Hey sexy," he asked and pulled her into the house. "My-names-Pietro-and-my-room-is-this-way," he said and started making his way to the staircases. Regina started laughing, and tears rolled down her face. Toad looked at her awkwardly before slowly making his way to the living room. He sat down sadly on the couch and Lance rolled his eyes. Regardless of how annoying Toad was it pissed him off that the girl would just blind side him for Pietro.  
  
"As much as I *snort* think I might *cough* enjoy your company, I think Todd would be quite pissed if I left him alone," she said and yanked her arm away before making her way to the living room. Lance cocked a brow and smiled a little at how bright Toad had become. Fred bit into the slice and continued to eat happily. Regina's eyes widened and Toad looked between her and Fred confused.  
  
"Uh, do you guys know each other?" he asked warily.  
  
"No! But that's the new pizza that came out right? The one with the pizza baked into dough?" she asked. Fred nodded. "Can I try one?" she asked. Everyone looked at Fred who looked at his pizza and then at her.  
  
"Uh, okay," he said and Regina grabbed a slice and stuffed it into her mouth.  
  
"Oh, this is good," she said and sat down next to Fred. She smiled at him and he smiled back and they said nothing else as they ate their food. She polished off the slice and as she wiped her hands noticed Lance's guitar. "You play?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah," he said quietly.  
  
"Isn't that the new Fender?" she asked curiously. He looked up at her and smiled.  
  
"Yeah, do you play?" he asked, no one had shown much of an interest in his skills nefore.  
  
"No, my brother doesn't have the patience to teach me," she said.  
  
  
  
"I'll show you how, if you want. It's pretty easy once you've got the chords. I'll write them down for you and the next time you come, I'll show you some stuff," he said. The phone rang and he picked it up. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few." He then hung up. "What time you gotta be home?"  
  
"By eleven," she said.  
  
"Okay, Kitty's gotta be home by ten tonight, so I'll give you a lift back to your place and give u the chords when I get back."  
  
"Awesome," she said and he began to leave.  
  
"What's your name?" he asked.  
  
"Regina and you?"  
  
"Lance, it was nice to meet you, see ya later," he said and was gone. She looked at Toad who smiled.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing, what ya wanna do?"  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
Okay, more at the BoM house later, I'm tired, review please! 


	6. At the 'Hood house hold Part 2

Hi Dudes! I'm frickin' exhausted! I'm having the equivalent to a mid life crisis during my early years! Anyway, here is my update…fan fiction is my only reason for living now a days _  
  
  
  
Shout Outs:  
  
  
  
The Uncanny R-Man: You're evil! It's not my fault that I made Lance nice in this fic! It just…happened. Pietro will not be tortured! Merely harassed and treated like crap.  
  
  
  
Red-Angel-Wings: I would have B-slapped her…then hop away before she kicks me in the balls…not that I have any…but I assume Toad does…eeewwww!  
  
  
  
Persona the ITG: I swear as soon as I read your review I realized how true it was…and it had me laughing for days, just the very image of having to break it down so it would look reasonably clean.   
  
  
  
Possom2009: I knew that would be a shocker! But Regina is always eating or making food, so figured they'd make a friendship based on food…now about Forge…  
  
  
  
Agent-G: Yeah, I had the image since my mom used to say the same to us, only instead of us getting slimed we'd get thrown a sandal.  
  
  
  
Dru: Only love can make Toad get his ass up and clean up that darn house  
  
  
  
Electric Fire: I know! I suffered having to find some decent clothing for church! It was chaos out there; everything showed either bits of boobie or every other part of your body! Toad is sweet, he's just misunderstood…like Pink*starts snickering*  
  
  
  
Demon Rogue 13: We'll soon find out! Poor Pietro, I honestly feel that he'll chase anything with legs.  
  
  
  
Poisoned Chaos:…I swear on my mother's Pillsbury collection (she actually has one *shudders*) that he'll be a happy boy before the fic is over, but geez…they just met! {BTW: Regina said she's going to kill you when we stop being lazy and write the next chapter of our fic ROADTRIP!}  
  
  
  
Bane of Jean: ^_^ I would love to read a Toad fic from you! Please do it! I make exclamation points in most of my reviews, 'specially when I'm excited…then it's scary!  
  
  
  
WinkyBells: Vomit little pink hearts? I love your phrasing, I actually pictured it and you had me smiling for the day and every time I think of it ^_^ I told everyone of my family (who listened) about that phrase. I tried to make her realistic without being super anti Mary Sue and without being Mary Sue too. I just wanted to make her genuine, and I'm glad I succeeded…so far!  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Toad and Regina where seated on the couch playing Budokai 2, while Fred haphazardly ate his slices of pizza and randomly passed Regina some while she played, since he wasn't much of a game freak. Lance was happily on his date with Kitty filling her in on the kind of person Regina was. The only person left was Pietro…who was in his room pacing.  
  
"I have a question," Toad began. Regina pressed the pause button on the game before turning his way. She lost her train of thought for a second when he smiled and then she mentally shook her head.  
  
"Shoot," she replied nervously.  
  
"Uh, well why didn't you go with Pietro?" He asked, with a slight bit of embarrassment and confusion.  
  
"I'd think it was obvious. He's the kind of guy who doesn't care what you look like, he'll chase after anything with fallopian tubes," she responded and he shook his head at her phrasing.  
  
"You're too much, ya know that?" he said and she wriggled her brows before unpausing the game. Toad was winning and she hated it immensely. She took the only chance she had and fused her characters, managing to beat Toad with a little bit of life.  
  
"Whoo! Go me, go me!" she said and started to do a little happy dance.   
  
"You cheated!" he shouted and yanked her down.  
  
"Liar! You're a sore loser!" she said back and he started to tickle her. She giggled manically much to her dismay but couldn't help herself. Fred stared down at them as they toppled to the floor and shook his head.  
  
"AHEM!" a voice called out and they both stopped playing and turned to see Pietro dressed in a burgundy bathrobe with a pipe in his mouth. Regina cocked a brow and Toad narrowed his eyes, knowing what Pietro was trying to do…turn up the old Maximoff charm. Toad was getting slightly more irritated and less sad with his behaviors. "Remember me?" Pietro said sexily to Regina who tried to suppress a smile.   
  
"Uh, I think so," she said and adjusted her dress to cover her knees. Pietro sent her a charming smile and for a second she was enraptured. He was really a good looking guy, but he was awful vain.  
  
Pietro zipped over and pulled her off of her seat when she sat down, spinning her around a bit. He quickly pressed play on a mock radio and yanked her into his arms. One thing about Pietro Maximoff was that he had never been turned down. And he refused to allow his first one to be from some girl who came from the boondocks. But unlike most innocent girls who couldn't resist his toothy smile, Regina had her mind set on someone else.  
  
He whirled her about and she groaned when he dipped her. She took the opportunity, to put her bare foot to his chest and kick him off of her. He was pushed back but she end up sprawled on the ground. She looked up at him and groaned at the shot of pain up her spine.  
  
"Sorry Casanova, but I think you should find someone more of your league…" she said and brushed a strand of black hair out of her eyes, feeling a little grimy, but having fun anyhow.  
  
"You're-damn-right," he said and pouted, crossing his arms and tapping his foot rapidly, not liking how much work getting her was taking, what the hell did she see in Toad anyway? Regina smiled a little before bursting out in hysterical laughter. "What-the-hell-are-you-laughing-at-string-bean?!"  
  
"Shut up, ya fake Hugh Hefner! Kiss my ass!" she said back still laughing, noticing the incredulous look on his face. He humphed and walked away, already trying to come up with a plan C. Toad who sat on the couch looked down at her and shook his head.  
  
"You're weird," he said.  
  
"That's why mi amor, we get along so well," she replied and when he tried to help her up, pulled him down where she got his arms locked to his back.  
  
"Not this time!" Toad responded and took the opportunity to grab her wrist with his tongue and unhook his arms. Then her grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, pressing her against the floor with his knee.  
  
"That was gross, you cheater!" she said, feeling the slime on her arms. "Ya crack headed monkey!"  
  
Toad stuck his tongue out, a little farther then normal and then let her go. She was too exhausted to move but when she could, she made her way to the bathroom to wash off the gunk on her wrists.  
  
"Didn't it bother you when she said you were gross?" Fred asked and Toad sighed and then gave him a speculative look.  
  
"No…not really. Cause she said what I did was gross, she didn't say I was gross. She's weird, yo. I think she likes me," he said after a beat, for the first time aloud instead of rolling it over in his head.  
  
"That's what you said about Wanda, and look what happened," Fred remarked and Toad frowned.  
  
"Yeah but that was different," he said. "I was too blinded by love for my snookums!" he said, mocking himself. He didn't notice Regina peek around the corner with a sad look on her face, she had come in time to here Fred mention some chic called Wanda and Toads response. She hadn't known about any other girls, they were only friends anyway so it didn't matter. She walked in and punched him in the arm before feeling a bit sick.  
  
"I'm not feeling too well," she said. "Can you take me home?" Toad looked at her.  
  
"But Lance was gonna do that guitar thing for you," he said and Regina shrugged.  
  
"It's cool, tell him to forget it," she said and made her way to the door. Toad looked at Fred who shrugged and he grabbed his jacket since it was cooler in the night and put it on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. "I'm cool, I don't need it," she said and Toad bit his tongue.  
  
"Fine," he said in the same cool tone as she and they made their way to the bus. They were silent till they went inside and sat in the back. She inched a little away from him and for the first time he called someone out. "What's your problem, yo? What'd I do?"  
  
Regina looked at him and narrowed her eyes; she wasn't one to beat around the bushes.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about Wanda?" she spat out. Toad looked at her and then remembered his conversation with Fred. For a second he was going to get angry, she hadn't even wanted to know what he was talking about in context. But the way she looked at that moment with a tiny muscle in her cheek constricting in anger he couldn't help but grin. "I swear keep smilin' and I'll wipe that smirk off your face!" she said and he took it as an empty threat, which it was.  
  
"Why did I have to?" he said smartly and she turned her face and angrily stared out the window. Toad just looked at her. "Well?" he prodded.  
  
"Cause if we're friends ya should have told me!" she said, feeling hurt and a little jealous…just a little.  
  
"Who said we were friends?" Toad shot back, now getting annoyed with her unnecessary behavior.  
  
"Screw you!" she said and stood up to get off the next stop of the bus, Toad yanked her down and she started to hit him with her closed fist, which he attempted to hold down. He managed to use his annoyance to gain strength over her and it helped that she was too skinny to really fight back, though in all honesty her punches did hurt badly.  
  
"Relax, I was goofin' with ya," he said and she gave him a glare and struggled to pull away but her wouldn't let her go. "Of course we're friends.  
  
"You stink…" she said and Toad just tucked her head in the crook of his shoulder exasperatedly, in attempts to get her to shut up.  
  
"I know…"  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
AWWW! There first fight. Ah well that's all I have for now, sorry if it was lame. Review pwease! 


	7. The wicked old witch

**Thank you for your reviews! It means a lot to me and I'll pick up on my shout outs next. There is only one I have to comment on and it's Sevish's question:**

**Sevish: How come women get jealous so easily?**

**DarkJadedRose: It all began when Eve ate the fruit and lived long years and her fourth cousin walked by in a skimpy dress made out of alligator skin. Adam gazed at her too long and that's when he was last able to make anymore children. Since those days, women have begun to get a slightly bit more jealous then men because we know that the second you see a pair of legs without the same equipment as yours we risk losing you and since there are so little of you guys around we have to get all ogrish and fight off anything remotely feminine (man and woman alike). It's really terrible. I, on the other hand, don't get jealous. There is no time for me to get jealous cause I usually have her on the ground with my four inch heels stuck between her fore head before any type of emotion registers. Well, I hope I answered your question. Anymore are welcome_ smiles sweetly_**

**__**

* * *

Todd yawned and threw himself on the concrete mattress he called a bed. He sighed heavily and thought of the raven haired girl that confused him in every single way. He smiled a little remembering her jealousy of Wanda. It would be a lie if he didn't say that it made him feel pretty good about himself.

He felt himself drifting into sleep until he heard the door bang open. A squeal was heard through out the house and he groaned as his mind registered that it was Pietro's squeal and it didn't take him too long to figure out why he was so afraid.

He slid off the bed and rubbed his hair, leaving it sticking out randomly at all sides. Their standing at the door was the woman he loved, looking as evil as ever. He felt his body vibrate and wasn't surprised at the voice behind him.

"Speaking of the devil," Fred said with his mouth full.

"Where's Lance?" Wanda asked quietly. Her arms crossed over her chest defensively and her eyes narrowed. Toad rolled his eyes and turned to walk back upstairs. He had a long day ahead of him and he wasn't in the mood to hear her whine. Wanda cocked a brow and looked at her brother who fell to his knees and spilled the beans.

After his weak demonstration she made her way up the stairs and began to tap on Toad's door. Her mind beset with a mixture of curiosity and disturbance that he wasn't ogling her as usual but she decided to just go back down and torment her twin to tell her all. All she did was throw a glass at his head and he began to share everything that had happened.

"You mean to tell me that Toad saved some kids life?" She asked and Pietro nodded eagerly as he gave her a cup of herbal tea.

"Yeah, and the weirdest part is that she likes him," he added. A toaster exploded and Fred added it to the long list of appliances they'd need to steal within the next hour. Wanda stood up and made her way to her bedroom. Pietro pulled off his apron and threw it at Fred's face who gloated at his weakness.

"Ya think she's jealous?" Fred asked. Pietro shook his head and gave a mocking laugh.

"No, why would she be? It's Toad!"

The next morning was chaos as chairs flew and light bulbs popped. Toad sat the table calmly eating his Lucky Charms while reading the back of the box. Wanda was growing more and more annoyed with the evasive answers Toad kept on giving her. He called the girl his 'friend' and didn't give her a straight answer on their relationship.

Wanda stormed away, her mind a muck. It wasn't that she liked Toad but she was accustomed to his constant begging for her to return his love and to see that his mind were on other things didn't sit too well with her. She sat in her room and contemplated what to do when she saw a crow fly into her bedroom. It took shape and she cocked a brow at the trespasser.

"Lead them to the back of the mall, the X Men are going to have a little night trip with Logan and we need a bit of distraction," Mystique shared. Wanda looked back at her nails and continued to paint them a bloody red. Mystique was sure that they'd follow her direction and left the way she entered. Wanda left the room a little after that to share the news with the guys, but Toad was gone.

* * *

Regina's nose was red as she held back tears. She was getting to sensitive for her age. She merely looked out the window as she remembered the events of the evening before. She had made a dramatic leave when Toad dropped her off home not even telling him bye. The second she walked in she saw the person she hated most in the world. Her mother.

There she sat with her long brown hair flowing along side of her; huge brown eyes full fo tears as she stood up and hugged her only daughter.

"How are you baby?" she asked. Regina pushed her away and looked down her nose at her. She then looked at her father who angrily grabbed her by the arm.

"Don't disrespect your mother that way!" he shouted. Regina pulled her arm away and stepped back.

"My mother?! You mean our egg donor cause she stopped being my mother when she left us like that." Regina turned away and saw her brother's run towards their mother and hug her. She grabbed them by their waist and pulled them to her room where she hugged them and kissed their hair. They didn't understand what was going on but enjoyed the attention.

Regina tried to hold back the pain when her mother came into the room and sent her brother's away. She stood up and made fist at her side, ready for battle.

"Why are you behaving this way?" Her mother asked. Regina scanned her mother and saw a beautiful woman, a woman whose face was made to be loved and yet inside she dripped with venom.

"You have to be an idiot not to see how bad you screwed us over. I don't know how dad could be so dumb to let you come back but I'll be damned if I live under the same roof as you," Regina said quietly. The fury shining through her eyes. Her mother narrowed her eyes in fear and left the room. Regina locked the door and cried all night; she ignored the knocks and didn't move at any moment. She heard the conversations about her and even heard her father tell Toad that she was ill.

The evening came quickly as she slept and she took out her bookbag and packed it with clothes. She wasn't going to run but she couldn't stay at her home. Her father had a choice and it was either Mom or her. She waited till everyone was asleep and quietly opened the door. She peeked into her parent's room and saw her mother asleep in her father's arms.

Regina unlocked the door and left the apartment, she walked all the way over to Bayville and over to the spot behind the mall. There she lay on the bench and stared up into the night's sky. A scuffle in the distance caused her to stand at attention and she felt fear course through her veins. She wouldn't give in that easily though and stood her ground, waiting for her opponent. She screamed when a red beam hit the wall behind her and all hell broke loose.


	8. Explanations and the beginning of a batt...

**Yeay, reviews! I thought I lost you all. But apparently I just lost the ones on my other fics _starts crying_ here are my _sniffle_ shout outs**

**Sevish: lol. I always believed that the person who caused the problem should be the one who got the confrontation (a.k.a. broken nose) I mean if the girl is the one whose bothering my man, then she's the one I drop kicked, now if it's my dude evil grin we're in for a battle that would put Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's fight to shame...**

**Agent-G: I moved, got a job, etc. etc. A lot of stuff happened at the same time. But I'm back and more feisty then ever (I hope). No they aren't common knowledge. I don't think I finished it but I'll finish it soon.**

**Possom2009: Brent is a bad boy. Shame on you! Well, I really had no idea what I wanted to do with Wanda**

**Red-angel-wings: Okay, I'll write more! My summer was super hectic. And I wanted to make my character a real person, and I figured putting myself into her would give her a change from the normal O.C.'s.**

**XME: I will give a better briefing next.**

**PietroPyro: I will. I'm glad you like!**

**The Uncanny R-Man: No, that's her mother for real. You didn't sound dumb. I figured you'd like the Pie torture.**

**On with the fic.**

* * *

_Flashback_

Regina was about nine years old at the time. Her hair was long and wavy, huge black eyes awaited eagerly for her mom to come back home from the hospital were she would be bringing her twin half brothers. Her mommy had left them when she had been seven and came back pregnant with her boyfriend's baby. But now she came back to Papi and they would all be together.

When her mother came in she screamed in delight at two mini replica's of her own face except they were pale with freckles thanks to their father. That night they slept in her room and she was awake staring at them until she heard a loud noise and went to the living room to see her mom unlocking the door.

"mami...where are you going?" she asked quietly. Her mother gasped and dropped her bag before picking it back up.

"To the store...," her mother said. "I'll be back in five minutes." And then she left. Regina sat on the couch waiting for mother's return and she waited for a week until her father, worn out and tired picked her up with tear filled eyes and told her the truth.

"No regresara," he said. She wouldn't return. And at that moment, she felt pure hatred for her mother and vowed that she would never forgive her.

_End Flashback_

Regina's scream faded and she saw the guy from the mall come out in some kind of suit.

"What's she doing here?!" Scott shouted. Regina turned towards him and wobbled as the ground beneath her feet shook. She tried to run but continued to trip over her feet. She heard a shout and saw Toad run towards her. He grabbed her and pulled her away. She saw another red beam shoot towards him and screamed as he grabbed her by the waist and landed on a tree.

"Oh hell no! Get me off!" She shouted. Toad grabbed her face with his webbed hands and forced her to shut up.

"Ya need to chill! I'm gonna get fuzzy to get you to safety."

"What the hell do you mean safety! You can't fight out there!" She shouted. Toad left her and suddenly a blue demon appeared beside her. "Yuck!" she shouted. Kurt wrinkled his nose in annoyance.

"Oh, it bother's you that a fuzzy thing talk to you but you let slime ball touch you?" That received a punch in the face before he teleported her to the roof of the building. Regina watched over the edge as Toad assisted his friends in fighting off the bad guys. She saw Toad looked up and waved. Then she saw some girl touch his face and him fall flat on the floor.

"TOAD!"


	9. The bad Guys: A better chapter

**This was seriously rewritten cause the chapter I had sucked, so I'm starting from scratch with a better follow up…hopefully. So here it goes.**

* * *

Regina's heart stopped as she watched him slump to the floor. The girl looked up at her with wide eyes and she was filled with fury at the disgusted look she received. Her eyes moved on as she saw the rest of her friends get badly beaten by the punks in spandex.

After Fred was thrown against a tree, she feared all was lost until a figure came out and began to beat the crap out of the losers. She looked around and cautiously made her way down a fire ladder on the side of the building. She almost kissed the ground when she was done. She crawled across the ground, feeling slightly sorry for the furry blue guy who was unconscious on the ground. She continued on to Toad and touched his face; it was cold and clammy…nothing new.

"Toad," she whispered trying to see if he was awake. "Toad…" She screamed when she felt someone grab her from behind. She was lifted off the ground straight into the air, and then turned to be eye to eye with the hairiest man she had ever seen.

"What the hell are ya doin' here kid?" the hairy guy asked. She screamed louder and aimed straight at his goose and eggs. The hairy man yelped and dropped her on the ground.

She started to run but he managed to tackle her down. She fought and scratched to no avail, all she got was ripped nails and bloody knuckles. He barely tapped her head with his hand and she was knocked out. She didn't remember anything, only waking up a little while later in a hospital room.

* * *

Toad was not a happy camper. He was lying in his bed with a bump on his forehead and his whole body was a mess of cuts. He looked over at the luggage on the side of his room and banged the wall beside him. He wasn't just going to sit there and let the X geeks mess her up. He got up and made his way down the stairs but was knocked out of the way by Pietro.

"Wanda said that you have to stay in bed," he informed Toad. Toad almost spit in his face but just opened the door. Pietro quickly banged it shut and gave waggled his finger. "No, no, no, Wanda said you have to go to-." He was cut off.

"Will ya stop bein' such a pupi and let me the hell outta here?!" Toad yelled. Pietro was momentarily stunned before getting shoved out the way by Fred and Lance.

"Come on, we'll go get her," Lance said and Toad followed them out. It took Pietro thirty seconds to realize who her was and decided to save the day, or assist anyway. He ran towards them and unwantingly guided them to the X house, where Regina was located.

* * *

**Hope this was better**


	10. The good guys

**Chapter 9 has been redone!**

* * *

Regina yawned as she scratched her messy head. She looked at her hands and noticed the bruises; it brought back memories. She started to scream as she remembered the very hairy man that had stole her away from Toad.

"Oh my stars and garters please calm down!" A voice said. She turned to find a blur, furry man at her side. Her screams elevated and she tried to get up, only getting tangled in the bed sheets. She fell to the ground and felt the cold floor under her almost bare bottom. She looked down to see herself in a thin hospital robe and her undies. The screams escalated.

Xavier was having a meeting with Logan on the non-safety of taking a human girl into their battles. He immediately grabbed his head at the pain of having a girl yelling in his brain.

"What's wrong Chuck?" Logan growled. Xavier tried to speak but he was in too much pain, the girl wasn't relenting. Finally the scream stopped.

"I think the girl you brought home just woke up…" Xavier sighed, taking two aspirins. Logan went downstairs, followed by Xavier, Scott and Jean. They made their way and ran…or wheeled towards the yelping of Hank McCoy.

"Please Miss! Put that down, that is very expensive!" Hank shouted. Logan opened the door and ducked when a metal tray flew towards his head. Scott wasn't so lucky. He was knocked unconscious on the floor while Jean protected them with a sphere.

"Let me go!" Regina shouted. She bit her lip and tried to find something else to protect her self with. Who knows what kind of weird experiments they'd do on her? Xavier caught that thought and proceeded to explain.

"Regina…" he said soft spoken, and tried to calm her. It just caused her to freak out more.

"How the hell do you know my name?!" She shouted.

"I'm getting' tired of this," Logan said and walked straight over to her. He popped his claws. "Relax," he growled. Regina gulped and had the disgusting urge to faint. She suddenly felt herself slump to the floor as the ground began to shake. "What the hell?"

Regina smiled when she figured out who it was. She slid underneath Logan's legs and ran off.

"Regina, we are here to help you!" Xavier shouted to her from the other side of the room. All he got in return was the finger.

She heard a loud thumping sound, and before you knew it, Fred had walked right through the wall of the Institute. Pietro came rushing in and wrapped a wire quickly around Logan's body as Lance shook the ground causing Jean to lose her balance and let go of the sphere. Toad took the opportunity to send a goop to her face and grabbed Scott's glasses with his tongue, Scott grabbed his eyes and lost his balance at another earthquake.

Toad turned to see Regina crouched at a corner trying to make sure she stayed out of the chaos. He noticed that she was clothes free and angrily asked her what happened.

"I-I don't know!" She shouted. "That blue bastard had this weird needle in his hand and had all of these plugs on me!" Toad looked over at the 'blue bastard' and saw Mr. McCoy trying to protect the professor. Toad's mouthed shaped into a tiny o and he paled a little at the thought of her ever finding out who the real bad guys were.

"Uh, maybe we should get outta here…" he said and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him take her to the Brotherhood house. A few minutes later, three beaten up BoM members followed in. She smiled at them and gave them all hugs.

"You guys are life savers…cherry ones," she said and grinned. "I can't believe those dweebs would try to kidnap me!" All four of the guys shuffled about and looked at their feet. Regina sighed and turned to Toad. "Thanks." She said. Toad smiled back and then noticed Pietro's grin.

"What the hell are you smilin' at?" Toad asked angrily. He looked down and saw the little paper dress flapping away in the back and quickly pushed her behind him. "I'll find ya somethin' to wear…" he said, glaring at Pietro. Lance thought of the little bit of clean clothes Toad owned and squeezed his nostrils shut.

"UH…maybe she can borrow one of my t-shirts…," he said and luckily Toad agreed without explanation. Regina closed her eyes momentarily for a breather and fell back. Fred caught her with his hand and Lance took her to the sofa were she slept in her little paper gown. Toad made a mental note to inform her that she had a slight snore.

"Toad…" Lance said.

"Yeah?" Toad replied.

"Ya gotta tell her, man…" Lance said; he looked at Toad grimace. "If you don't, the X geeks'll get to her first and then she'll be real pissed."

"I'll tell her soon enough…" Toad said and covered her up with a tattered blanket before going up to bed. He fell asleep hoping that she'd never find out the truth.


	11. The Truth will set you free but not yet

Regina grumbled a little as she tried to turn over in her bed. She was having the weirdest dream. Blue furry people with metal claws were trying to push their wheelchairs away from Fred. She groaned a little and tried to get comfortable, all she got was falling flat on her back in the middle of the hard, cold floor. She sat up and rubbed the small of her back before flipping her hair out of her eyes. She'd have to get it cut soon; it was too long for her.

She stood up, went over to the kitchen and noticed her reflection in the window above the sink. She was wearing a paper dress. Her mind went back to yesterday and everything that had gone on. Things were definitely weird. It was too early in the morning for her to think straight but she had little nagging thoughts in the back of her head and a lot of questions. Questions that probably had no answers or any that she wanted to hear.

She went upstairs to the bathroom near Lance's room and looked at the mirror. She looked worst for the wearer. Her eyes were tired and she had bags, her hair was limp and clumpy and her skin was dry and bruised. She took the initiative and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water hit her back. As the water hit her, the more awake she became and more of the night came to her.

The blue furry man had been wearing glasses and a lab coat. When she had looked over to him after hearing his consoling voice, she had seen a soft smile almost like the old King Kong movie when the damn monkey had looked at his glamour girl. She had screamed for the same reason she had gotten disgusted by the demon dude, because it had been expected and she had no other logical way of reacting to such a bizarre situation.

Come to think of it, the demon dude hadn't been scary at all. He had taken her to safety regardless of her bit of abuse there. He had willingly saved her life; on top of that Toad had referred to him as 'Fuzzy'. Wouldn't that be considered an endearment? What was going on?

Then the guy from the mall had been alarmed at her being in the middle of their fight. He had shouted it to the red headed chic that had bitten her lip and yelled at her to get out of the way, even though she hadn't paid much attention since suddenly the ground had begun to rumble beneath her. That was when Toad had gotten to her before the red beam could kill her. But perhaps the guy from the mall had been trying to protect her by hitting Toad since he had suddenly shot when Toad had touched her, but she didn't want to give him too much benefit of the doubt.

She rubbed the soap between her hands roughly until it was lathered good and well and began to wash herself. She didn't notice her chest turn red as she continued to scrub, growing rougher with each and every acknowledgement of the _'bad guys'_ who had come to '_terrorize'_ her friends.

She did remember clearly the girl who had touched his face and had knocked him unconscious. That had angered her. She saw the girl pull back quickly and pause, looking her way. Her eyes had been wide in shock and she had appeared curious and then she had given Regina a disgusted look, a look of repulsion, then she had looked back at Toad and with the same scowl and had walked away. But why would she look at Regina that way? What had she done? Was it her association with Toad? With, what she had recently found out, the **Brotherhood of mutants**? What was so great about the name **X Men** anyway? So nerdy…

She had been even more surprised at the way the X-geeks, as Lance so lovingly referred to the dweebs in spandex, had been kicking their butts. It was obvious that they had known what they were doing. They seemed to know the tactics. They were better trained. When Toad had been carrying her away from her kidnappers, she had looked back to see a huge mansion; one that had probably gone through war since there were a bunch of machines hanging out of the ground. Some crushed, some gunked and some falling from their holes. She heard consistent blasts and lots of yelping that came from the room that they had blown up and didn't second guess that for the second time, the BoM was getting their hides mutilated.

Then her mind drifted towards that midget of the man with talons. He had been scary. She always prided herself in not being scared of anything, except heights and purple ketchup, but this guy cut the cake. He hadn't even looked that scary, it was his eyes; so black, so cold. And he had asked her, what the hell she was doing there. She sighed and rinsed off all the soap from her body and dried herself off with the paper gown being careful of the welts that had appeared. She looked down at her hands and saw her skinned knuckles, that had been painful but she had been too frightened to relent. Then she had seen his fist come down towards her head and knew the end was nigh.

Then she remembered the bald eagle in a wheelchair. He had come just in the nick of time because she could have _sworn_ the blue ape was going to do some malicious experiment on her. Then he had started to shout her name aloud and for some reason in her head. Now that had been creepy, she quickly started to imagine a brick wall in her brain and pretended she had a firewall, that had kept his voice out and she had thought of an escape plan when Mr. Universe had tried to calm her down by threatening manslaughter. Then the guys had come to save her.

She had started to run when she heard the baldy's voice cry out, "Regina, we are here to help you!" She had given him the finger out of habit. Everybody wanted to help her with no explanation. Was she supposed to believe that they were all nice people? People who wanted to help people? Mutants? Her? Damn weirdoes. She used her finger to brush her teeth and hurriedly washed her mouth when the door was banged on. She opened it swiftly and finally met the only member who had managed to win the fight. She had a scowl on her face.

Regina didn't say a word. She just left the bathroom wrapped in the paper towel…she meant the hospital gown and made her way over to Toad's room where she quietly opened the door, assuming he was sleeping. He was. She quietly walked in and waved her hand in front of her face at the musty smell before cracking the window open a bit. She then went over to his closet and wriggled her nose. He had three shirts, two jeans and the beautiful suit he had worn the first time he had gone to her house. She closed the door before turning to the whisper at the doorway. Lance was waving her over.

Regina went over to him not noticing that she wasn't fully dressed because she was constantly surrounded by guys and Lance didn't seem to care anyway. He handed her a black sleeveless t-shirt and a pair of sweats. She closed the door and pulled them on gladly; she assumed her backpack was gone. She opened the door again to still find him standing there and just stared at him. He coughed into his hand as if waiting for her to make the first move. She didn't and he didn't either, so they just went downstairs to have some breakfast, Regina too tired to think anymore.

* * *

Toad on the other hand was having a nightmare. Regina was setting his tongue on fire and calling him a "freaking liar." The name suited him. He had been so upset in the dream that he rolled off the bed and landed with a thump on the floor. He sat up straight with his blanket partially covering his left eye. The guilt was still going strong.

He groaned and stood up prepared to face his doom. He would tell her today, right now, even if it killed him. He went to the bathroom and washed up. His mind went over the different scenarios that could occur. She could nail his tongue to the washboard. She could drown him in toilet water. She could even kick him in the balls and call it a day. But he knew she wouldn't hurt him in that way. She had been lied to, scammed and hurt so long and she had finally trusted him only to have him lie to her too…well not exactly lie but omit a lot of the truth.

He got dressed and slowly made his way down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen and saw her chatting with Lance about the team. He didn't say a word and just listened to her questions.

"So, um, who do you guys work for? I assume that slim Jim works for baldy…so what about you?" she asked casually, almost too casually, as if she was waiting for a certain answer.

"We work for this guy named Magneto," Lance said, no more, no less. Pietro, apparently having heard his father's name, came rushing down.

"My father? Where?" Pietro screeched. Regina smiled and poured more cereal into her cracked bowl.

"Nothing you numb nut, I'm asking Lance some questions about you guys," she said. Pietro cocked his head to the side like a confused bird.

"Why don't you ask Toad?" Pietro asked; Regina shrugged.

"Cause he ain't here," she said and continued to speak with Lance. "How did you guys know that the X Geeks would be there last night?"

This time Lance almost chocked on his cereal. Pietro quickly did the Heimlich maneuver for no reason since he was immediately calm. He looked at her and his eyes narrowed in perception.

"We just so happened to decide to go on an average nightly walk and ended up there," he said professionally. She nodded and finished her cereal before leaving the room. She didn't notice Toad until she bumped into him. He grabbed her before she could fall and gave her a smile. She smiled back haphazardly at first and then she seemed to slightly shake her head before giving him a genuine smile.

"Hey, I'll see you guys later. I'm gonna go for a walk," she said and pulled on a pair of flip flops that Fred had stole…that Pietro had lent to her. She didn't notice anything but the soft breeze and sighed heavily at escaping the house. There were too many questions floating in the air.

She took a nice long walk over to the park where the incident had occurred and noticed the scorched ground and random fallen trees. There on the corner was the bag she had dropped. She went over to it and opened up to see all her things inside. She sighed heavily and put the bag over her shoulders and began to slowly walk back to the Brotherhood place and noticed the girl who had almost killed Toad walk towards the mall along with a brunette and a guy who looked weirdly like that demon dude from the night before. She didn't say a word and tried to quickly walk away without being noticed. She didn't think they would take too kindly to her associates blowing up their houses.

"Hey, like, isn't that her?" the brunette asked. Regina muttered an obscenity and tried to walk away faster. "HEY!" The girl shouted. Screw eloquence, she started to run and she ran as fast as she could but suddenly the guy burst in front of her with a dark blue smoke that momentarily caught her off guard. She fell into a coughing fit and looked up to see them all there.

"Ve just vant to talk to you…" he said. He was the demon dude. She didn't say anything, afraid the girl with the streaks would touch her. "I am Kurt Vaugner also known as Nightcrawler and this is Kitty Pryde also known as Shadowcat and this is Rogue who hasn't decided on a codename," he introduced; Rogue glared. She saluted them all and leaned against the tree they backed her into.

"What do you guys want?" she asked. Rogue crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Can we hurry up, ah'm getting' tired of chasin' people around," Rogue said. Kurt gave her a disapproving look.

"Ve are here to tell you that ve are not the bad guys. The brotherhood is," he responded. Regina sneered and this time she made her way out of the group, semi-violently as she shoved them out of her way. "Just hear vhat ve have to say," Kurt shouted. She just kept on walking, the questions continuously growing in her head. She just couldn't deal with it now, she didn't want to.

"Maybe she knows," Kitty said; she noticed the girl keep looking over her shoulder at them. She frowned when they received the finger. "I know she knows."

"I think she's cute," Kurt said dreamily. Kitty rolled her eyes.

"You think any depressed person with some kind of personal issue is cute, Kurt," she said. Kurt shrugged.

"Vell, at least I have taste. Mrs. Mullet," that got him a punch to the arm. Rogue looked back at the girl and decided that though she didn't know she must suspect something and hoped that for her own sake, Regina found out before she got caught up with a misunderstood crowd.


	12. Time to get away

_**Hey Guys, thanks for the reviews! I missed you too! Let's see if I get back into action, no promises!**_

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Regina hurried off to the Brotherhood house. It was time to know the truth. The anger that consumed her was overwhelming. She didn't know what she would say to him, to any of them if they confirmed what the demon had told her. She started off walking but ended up running all the way to the house, her body drenched in sweat as she banged open the door.

"TOAD!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. No answer was heard. She muttered an explicative and began to stroll about the house. "Toad!" She said loudly, but still no answer. Regina sighed heavily and wandered over to their respective bedrooms to see if they were hiding out but no one was there. She went back to Toad's room and found a note on the pillow case. Its words were written hurriedly I chicken scratch.

'Had to run, will be back tonight, stay in Lance's room and don't come out'

Regina's mood elevated from anger to rage. She screamed at the top of her lungs and went to the bathroom to take another shower. The door slammed closed and she figured it was the boys.

"Guys, you better get your asses over here and tell me the truth," she began and walked down the stairs. She came face to face with a tall woman whose skin was painted blue. Regina's mouth gaped open and she tried to speak but couldn't; she had a gaping fish face. Her shock fled before the woman before her and she started to run.

She made her way to the back door and tried to get out but she felt herself get grabbed by her shirt and thrown against the wall. She cringed as she felt herself crumple to the floor. She looked up and the figure stared down at her in anger.

"Who are you?" The figure asked. Regina didn't say a word and the figure put her heeled foot against her chest and pressed her against the floor. She gasped for breath as the pressure increased. "Who are you?"

"Re-Regina," she whispered and pursed her eyes as tears from the pain tried to spill. Anger overcame her tears as she realized how hellish her life had become in the recent days and she grabbed the figures ankle and began to twist it with all she could. The pressure became more intense but Regina wouldn't let up. "Who the hell are you!" She shouted.

"Mystique," the figure said. Mystique was getting angry at Regina's relentlessness and was ready to stomp on her rib cage, but the second she lifted her foot. Regina twisted it to the side and Mystique fell back. Regina stood up and started to run again without looking behind.

"Get back here!" Mystique shouted. Regina just kept on running; she had no idea where to go. She managed to make it to the mall, figuring she'd find the guys there. She had the weirdest habit of going back to the same spots. That was where she had met Toad, where he had saved her brother. She was filled with anger yet again.

An epiphany occurred. She realized that the so called X Geeks may have some truth in their words. Why would the guys tell her not to open the door? Why would Pietro be so scared of his father? Who would they always fight with the X Geeks? Why would that lady try to kill her? Why? Why? Why? She was tired of questions and wanted answers.

She decided to go to her sources, well supposed sources. She'd get answers from them and confront the boys with their responses. She was tired of not knowing and at least having a suspicion would help. She walked for over forty five minutes until she reached her destination. She looked at the well oiled gates and regretted her actions.

She was trying to figure out what to do and how to sneak inside when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around very slowly. She came face to face with the brown haired girl that had been with the demon boy and the chic with the streaks.

"Can I help you?" she asked quietly. Regina looked about and grabbed the girl's arm. Kitty almost phased out but because the girl looked so confused and half out of her mind she couldn't help but allow herself to be dragged away. If she was trying to kidnap Kitty, then she'd just phase away.

Regina sat on the ground behind a bush, with the gate on her other side. Kitty sat down quietly and looked at the girl with big blue eyes.

"What's your name?" she asked. Regina looked at her and sighed at her sincerity. Too many lying eyes shaded by that stare. She just complied, her guard was already up.

"Regina," she said.

"My name's Kitty," said the girl before her. Regina nodded her head.

"Tell me 'bout the Brotherhood," she stated. "Nothing more, nothing less. No opinions, just who they are and what they're about." Kitty thought about Toad and the others, wondering what would lead to this conversation.

"The brotherhood of mutants are, um, well their, like rejects. You see there are the X Men and the Brotherhood. The X Men are the ones who try to help the humans, that's us and the Brotherhood are the ones who…uh, try to…well, kill isn't the right word to say more like destroy the human race in order to achieve world domination. It's not their fault though, their kinda misguided."

Regina listened to everything Kitty said and what she avoided saying. Regina nodded her head and left Kitty still sitting on the floor; for whatever reason she was overcome with guilt and decided not to mention to anyone about their conversation.

Kitty went home to the institute and lost herself in her homework. She found herself dealing with a difficult math problem and went over to Jean's room for a little help; she stopped when she overheard her talking to Scott. She tried to push her ear far into the door when she felt a hand wrap around her mouth and waist, suddenly she was in Jean's closet with a gross smell. She turned to see Kurt's finger against his lips and stayed quiet.

"Scott, I think that we should be wary about them. Regina doesn't look like the most trustworthy person. And we don't know what battles they might be drawing us to." Jean said her voice full of concern.

"I know…I thought about that and so did the professor and Logan. That's why it's just us going. The Brotherhood is here and they won't budge until we find Regina so if they're planning anything they couldn't do much without them."

"Do the younger ones know?" Jean asked. Kitty and Kurt imagined Scott shaking his head.

"No, the brotherhood will stay in the Danger room, locked up tight. It'll be me, you, Rogue, Logan, and the Professor. We're leaving at midnight, just be ready and leave with your regular clothes on." The door slammed and Kitty and Kurt teleported to the Danger room. Lance, Fred, Pietro and Toad were on the floor. They just looked up in shock. They had been warned not to let anyone know they were there. Kitty was the first to speak.

"What are you guys doing here? And what happened with Regina?" She asked. Toad's face was heavy with worry and Kitty narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"She's gone," Toad said.

"Gone?" Kurt asked. "Vhere? Home?" Toad stood up angrily.

"No! She's not home, she's not anywhere! We don't know where she is!" He yelled. The guys did nothing to calm him down. "And instead o' helpin' they're makin' us stay here while them jerks go look for her. Like they're even gonna try, they don't give for any of us. They probably think we're trying to pull somethin'."

Kitty and Kurt said nothing and their silence confirmed it all. Toad sat back down hard and put his head in his hands.

"What if she's hurt! Mystique yelled at us as soon as we got back, yo," he said. "Maybe she did somethin' to her," he said and started to pace. The guys followed him with their eyes; he was merely speaking their minds.

Kurt and Kitty looked at each other and quietly made their decision in silence. They controlled their thoughts and quietly went over to them in case anyone overheard.

"Ve're going get you out of here and find her ourselves," Kurt said. Kurt didn't like having to leave Kitty behind with Lance and Fred but figured taking the smallest ones out first would avoid them getting caught. He hoped they were doing the right thing. Kitty was having other thoughts; she knew it was the right thing. She figured it was her conversation that might have sent Regina running off, and would do anything to amend it. She didn't want that on her conscious.

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_**Why is it so long on Microsoft Word and short in Review Please **_

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	13. Decisions, Decisions

_We left off with Kitty and Kurt helping the brotherhood out of the danger room in order to find Regina_

_Hello my peoples! I'd like to apologize for my dissapearing acts. As I've said repeatedly...I go to two different colleges, take ten classes, work full time and I'm in the process of graduating. Please understand what goes on in everyones personal lives. If a chapter isn't to your standing, then I apologize but it's not like I'm just getting lazy. I love writing and I just want to writeand not feel as if I'm being compared to a pulitzer prize winning novelist._

_THANK YOU TO EVERYONE OUT THERE WHO HAS CONTINUED FAITH IN ME AND WISHES ME LUCK ON MY JOURNEY OF ADULTHOOD...it's gonna be a hard one!_

_Plus in order to Answer Agent-G regarding the fact that he feels the story is inconsistent and out of the blue. And also to answer about how the Brotherhood got into the danger room in the first place. If you were the X men and the Brotherhood came to your for help, would you not be wary? Would you not question their purposes? Mayhap I was a bit unclear when it came to them getting there, but Regina just got caught by Mystique and the boys weren't home. They know Mystique pops in out of nowhere so they would ensure her safety as we have seen in the show. When they find that Regina hasn't come back, out of desperation and after looking for her themselves, they're bound to turn to the people they know will help. But regardlessof their sincerity, the X men aren't going to believe they're 100 on the good side, they're gonna figure its a game and the most tight place to keep them secured is the DR. But if you don't like the story, feel free not to read it. Thanks for taking the time to do so though and for giving me your opinion._

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The new crew consisted of Kurt, Kitty, Toad, Lance, Pietro and Blob. They snuck out the mansion and managed to get to the only place they could think of, the mall. Toad looked around to see if he could find her and saw a figure up in the tree. He sighed in relief and was about to call her name when Lance covered his mouth.

"Yuck," Lance said and wiped his hand on the back of Pietro's pants. Toad didn't budge when he saw Mystique looking about for her too. She managed to get right under the tree. Regina was far enough not to see them but they were close enough to see her face full of fright.

"Yo…she's scared of heights…," Toad whispered. He desperately wanted to intervene but too many hands were on him. Kurt looked over to Toad.

"I'll get her," he whispered and was gone in a second, the next minute he was back with them with Regina in his arms. "Let's go!"

They began to run. Regina not caring who was around her, she just wanted to get to safety. Their fear of retaliation was much greater then they're desire to turn and see if she was going on them. But the next time she spoke her voice seemed very far away.

"You imbeciles!" Mystique yelled. She had seen them. They started to run as fast as they could, straight towards the mansion. They managed to go on after half an hour due to their mutated stamina, but Regina was beginning to slow down. She was having pains in her sides and she was getting weary from her escapades. She stopped running in the middle of the street and almost fell to her knees. Toad stopped and grabbed her with his arm. He put her on his back.

"Hold on Reggie…just hold on," she held on as tightly as she could and he kept going forward, his legs being the strongest part of his body. They made it to the mansion and Kitty got them all in as the held each other's hand. They snuck back into the Danger Room only to find Rogue, Scott, Jean, The professor and a very angry Logan. Ororo and Dr. McCoy came in and lifted Regina off of Toad's back to take her to the lab. The rest stayed behind.

"I should have known you were listening in when I smelled that funk," Jean said and glared at Kurt who looked away not necessarily smiling, necessarily... They were ready to be reprimanded but Kitty butted in.

"Look…I spoke to Regina this morning and she had asked me about the guys. I told her the truth and I guess she got stuck with Mystique when she, like, went to look for them. She's not grimy you guys, she's cool. She reminds me of them," she said and pointed at the pathetic team of Brotherhood. The rest looked at them warily still unsure.

Professor Xavier sighed and left the room. Logan glared at the rest of them.

"Everyone who lives here go ta yer rooms. Everyone who doesn't gets a sleepin' bag an'ill be knockin' out on the Danger Room floor…wit me," he growled. Everyone followed his orders. Toad stayed a little behind.

"What about Regina, yo? Is she gonna come down wit us?" Toad asked. Logan was about to smack him in the back of his head, but he saw the worry in the kids eyes.

"Nah, she'll stay in the lab. She'll be fine, just getting' some rest. Now get yer ass a sleepin' bag." That was the kindest Toad had seen him and assumed that he was being genuine. Besides he had a worry on his mind, he had caused havoc between the BoM, Magneto and Mystique. What were they going to do?

Meanwhile Regina was getting her temperature taken. She stared at the fuzzy blue and the silver haired lady in frustration. She just wanted to get out of there, maybe she even wanted to go home. Professor Xavier rolled into the scene and smiled at her. He was so nice that she couldn't help but smile back due to her exhaustion.

"I just want to ask you a few questions my dear, I'll ask them and you share with me your story," he told her. She figured if she didn't answer she would get blown into pieces so she complied. "Where did you come from? How did you meet Todd Tolansky? And what is your plan for now?" Regina sighed and answered all of the questions but the last which she got to now.

"I don't know what I wanna do…It's kinda hard, ya know. I really care 'bout him and he lied to me, how am I supposed to deal with that? I don't even know where to go. I wanna go home but now that the blue bi...lady wants to come at me, how can I go home? I don't got nothin', I don't got no future, I don't have anythin'…"

"Why don't I speak to your father and you come stay with us?" He offered. Her dark eyes widened.

"Oh no…I don't think so. I can't stay here with people who aren't gonna 'ccept me for who I am and I'm not leavin' my friends for those other people to hurt. This is my battle, I'll solve it."

"Child," Ororo said. "We're not going to abandon you or them. The offer is open to everyone. None of our students fit in. They are different, just like you, which is why they get along and love each other. Your friends need that same love just like you. Your family cares about you but you know that you cannot go home. You have been branded."

"I gotta talk to Todd," she said. Professor Xavier nodded his head.

"That's fine. Get some rest tonight and I'll let him visit you tomorrow for breakfast." The professor then left and Regina slowly went to sleep, her body beginning to cave in with exhaustion.

Unfortunately, she thought of the problems she had now started due to her inane nature. What could she do about it? How could she live her life with these people? How could she live her life without him?


	14. It all starts winding down

_**Poor Sam…No reviews. Well I'll still keep myself going!**_

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Toad opened the door while he held the tray in his hand. She was watching television on the tiny screen above her head until she heard the door close. Then she looked at him, her eyes narrowed and she turned her attention back to the screen. He sighed and laid the tray on the table and sat on the edge of her bed. Dr. McCoy walked in and looked at her before blowing a low whistle. She was now awake.

"I'll just come back later," he said and walked away.

Toad reached out his hand and touched hers; she didn't budge…that was a good sign.

"Look Reggie..I'm just real sorry 'bout-," she cute him off quick.

"We're gonna make somethin' clear. I don't give a shit if your past life was full of stealin' and fightin' and all that good stuff, what I do care 'bout is bein' lied to. I never, ever trusted anyone the way I trusted you and the first thing ya do is lie. Why?" Her nose turned red and she was afraid she was going to cry. She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry man…" Toad said. He looked at his ugly hands and closed his eyes. It was too good to be true. "I really am. I shoulda told you the truth. I'm an idiot."

He then lifted her chin and she looked into his eyes. She tried to look away but couldn't.

"I really like you, yo. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. My moms left me; I didn't even know who my pops was. Nobody wanted to be my friend, nobody cared 'bout me. But you did…you did. I just want ya to know how sorry I am."

Regina wanted to say it was okay but she couldn't. She wouldn't let him off so easy.

"I've gotta think about it," she said. She stood up and started to walk towards the bathroom when she heard him giggle. That pissed her off more. "What!"

"I think ya shoulda asked the X-geeks for some clothes," he told her. She looked at her back and saw that her undies were being displayed by the paper gown. She gave him the finger and closed the door behind her. Toad shook his head and left the room hoping that maybe her feelings towards him at that moment would change.

Regina looked into the mirror and sighed. She still hadn't asked him about staying with the professor. She didn't think it was a good idea anyhow. She probably should just pack her things and do what she did She sighed into the mirror and looked at her face. Her eyes were too soft for their own good. They were too open. She let the water run and splashed cool water on her face. She sighed and then opened the door before letting out a hard kick. Right on the floor was Lance who was letting out small gasps followed by short cries of pain.

"Oh shit! Oh Lance. I'm so sorry," she said and fell on her knees. She bit her lips. She then punched his shoulder. "Why the hell would you scare me like that?"

"Dude! You just kicked me in the balls!" he shouted. She pouted and sighed.

"Sorry…" she repeated. Lance looked up at her and smiled a little, the pain receding.

"No prob…look…I just saw Toad leave from here kinda bummed. Ya know he's sorry…you know **we're** sorry for what we didn't say. But…we care about you and we just didn't want you to make assumptions on who we are…" Lance looked at her face. "You understand?"

"I wouldn't have left ya know. I woulda waited for an explanation," she mumbled; still upset at being lied to but she was beginning to understand their fear. She thought about her secrets and figured that she was being unfair as well. Then something hit her.

"You just said assumptions…" Regina said and started to crack up. Lance laughed along with her and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not stupid just verbally inhibited," he said, using another **big** word. She stood up and held out her hand; he took it and she helped him up.

"Let me change and I'll go have a talk with him."

Lance sighed heavily and pursed his lips to keep from laughing.

"Uh…yeah…I think you better change…" he said and looked at the paper gown. She growled at him and he quickly left the room.

"Asshole…" she said and went to change.

A little while later she ran up the stairs and stared up at all the chaos. She followed the laughing voices to the back and walked into a large recreation area. Everyone was having a great time aside from the boys who were on the opposite side of the room. Toad was sitting on a table and didn't notice her from across the room. She walked over and smiled at the guys. Toad smiled back but looked away.

"Now that you're here…" Lance said. "We're can have the meeting…"

"Okay…why were you waiting for me?" Regina asked and Fred put his hand on her shoulder while the other held a donut.

"Duh, you're part of the brotherhood…" he said and Regina smiled.

"Not-really-string-bean. You-just-live-with-us…for-now…Don't-let-it-get-to-your-head," Pietro butted in. She reached out to pull his hair but he was on the other side in a jiffy.

"I swear I'll get you one day and you're little bangs too!" she threw at him. The guys rolled their eyes and Lance coughed to get their attention.

"Xavier said that he'd let us stay here. We can stay with them and fight with them and all that junk but there goes who we are…what do you guys want?" He asked. The boys looked over at Regina who was lost. She didn't understand why they kept eyeing her. So she asked.

"What!" she said agitated.

"Ya have to stay…" Toad said quietly. "We can't have you gettin' hurt…the professor told me that it would be dangerous for you to go home…"

Regina back up a little and shook her head.

"No…I can't stay here. I can't…" she bit her lip and that's when the tears started to come. The last few weeks hit her like a ton of bricks. She couldn't lose them too…him too. She ran out of the room and didn't hear Toad call out to her. He hopped after her and managed to grab her before she left through the front door.

"Talk to me…" he said. He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. She looked up at him and remembered something important.

"I lied to you…" she said. Toad narrowed his pale green eyes.

"What?" he asked; remembering her little speech.

"My...my mom's back at home. She wants to be a part of our lives again. She's not dead in the flesh, but she's dead to me…I love my pops. But I don't wanna go home right now. I don't wanna stay here. I wanna go with you. I just wanna go with you," she said and flung herself at him. He had it in him to tell her off for giving him a hard time when she held on to her own little lie but figured that it wasn't the time.

"Let's go home…" Lance said. Toad looked over at him and then at Regina.

"I won't leave her behind," he said and Lance rolled his eyes.

"Duh stupid…she's coming with us," Lance said. "Pietro called the house. Buckethead's got Mystique. He sent her to get some new recruits for the team. We'll be alone for another few months."

"And who may I ask is the informer?" Toad asked smartly.

"Wanda," Pietro threw in.

"Well…" Toad asked, looking at her again. Regina bit her lip. She knew what she wanted.

"Let's go," she said and went to pick up her clothes.

"We'll tell the guys," Lance said. Toad grabbed Regina's arm before she left.

"We've gotta talk, yo…we've gotta have a good talk," he said and she nodded her head before leaving.

"Do ya think we're doin' the right thing…" Fred said slowly to those still behind. The guys shrugged.

"What other choice do we have?" Toad asked.

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**_Review Please_**


	15. Confronting the Demon

**_Here ya go...!_**

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Regina sat on the bus on that cold, dreary day. It was raining and pouring and in reality she was feeling a little cold. But it didn't matter, she didn't know if she would ever speak to him again. There he sat on the other side of her, giving her some space since she was ready to snap his neck in two. He had made her do this. He wasn't just letting her be.

She honestly didn't want to go home, even if it was just for a minute; that minute would be torture. But he had insisted the night before that she had to face her demons. That running away all the time wouldn't solve the problem. She angrily clenched her fist as she sniffled heavily; trying to hold back the tears that now seemed to flow so easily down her face. Her mind wandered to the evening before.

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_They walked into the house, laughing and joking around with each other. The heavy presence that hovered over them at the thought of Mystiques return was lifted and they felt free to just be. They sat around while Wanda sat up in her room doing God knows what; they wouldn't disturb her unless she wanted them to and Toad's annoyances had been directed to someone new. The atmosphere then changed as Lance took charge much to Pietro's consternation._

_"Okay…now we have two girls in the house…we have to think about some rules here people," he said seriously. He looked over at Pietro. "Now Pietro, we understand your fascinations with the opposite sex, buy Playboy if you have to but knock before you go into the bathroom."_

_"Why,-I-never!" Pietro gave him a look of slight offense with his hands laid delicately on his chest. The rest of the crew glared at him while he broke out into hysterical laughter. "Okay,-okay. I-swear-I –will- never -walk –into- the- bathroom- while- Regina- is- in- their- under- any- circumstances." The quickly crossed fingers were unseen._

_The meeting continued on with a little bit of more rules placed. Not too much change but just enough to make the steady transition from unkempt boy's crib to something more comfortable for them all to deal with. They then went off to bed, tired of the long night. Regina was sent off to Toad's room and Toad was planning to sleep in the living room until they could clean up one of the rooms used for storage._

_She sat on his bed while he pulled out his morning toiletries and some pajamas. She noticed the tense look on his shoulders and cocked her head to the side. She was ready to ask him what was wrong but he beat her to it and carefully chose his words as he approached the sensitive subject._

_"Reggie…" Toad began. Regina stiffened a little at the tone of his voice. "I told ya that we had to talk 'bout somethin' important remember?"_

_"Yeah," Regina said and waited for him to approach the subject._

_"I don't want ya to start yellin' or to interrupt me while I tell ya what ya need to here…allright? Promise me that," he said sternly and looked into her eyes. The seriousness behind the olive iris caused her to nod her head._

_"I swear," she said honestly._

_"Regina…ya gotta go to your house and talk to our moms. I'm not tellin' ya you have to leave but ya need to confront this. Tell her how ya feel, why ya don't wanna stay there and talk to your fam'ly. Ya really care 'bout them. I have no fam'ly, I don't have nobody and when I went to your house that day, I wondered what it would have been like to have a fam'ly like yours."_

_Regina laid her head on the pillow and looked up at the cracked ceiling. She couldn't believe he was telling her to speak to her mother. _

_"How can you even ask me that? My mom left me man. She just dropped me and my family. Not once but twice. How can you ask me to let her back in my life?" She sat back up and looked at him. He sat next to her and grabbed her hand tightly, in case she wanted to pull away._

_"If my moms came back to me…I don't care if she sold me, gave me away, left me in a street corner or whatever. I would wanna talk to her; see why she did it and all that stuff. Just do this for me…for you. Just make sure that what you think happened is right. I'll go with you…we'll go tomorrow…"_

_Regina started to shake her head no but lunged herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her and began to rock back and forth. He wondered if she thought he would be sending her off alone. He would be there for her, he would stand by her while she faced this huge black spot in her life and in the end he would be there for her, no matter the outcome. Regina pulled away, her black hair wild about her face._

_"Will you be there?" she asked him, her voice small and fearful like a little kid on their first day of school._

_"Always," Toad said and kissed her on her forehead. She snuggled up into him in fear of the tomorrow and there fell asleep. He didn't budge from there, instead trying to exert in her the strength that he had left, just to add to her own._

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Regina stood in front of the light blue door and stared at the key hole. Toad stood behind her and held her hand, squeezing it for a split second before it opened up. There stood her father; he stared at her as if she was a ghost. Her face paled and her black eyes widened at the thought that maybe she wasn't welcomed anymore. Perhaps she had caused so much grief that her visit would just be painful. Her thoughts were quickly wiped away.

"Regina," he said before yanking her to him. He cradled her face in his hands and tears dripped down his face while Regina let out a slight half-smile.

"Hi papi," she said. Her father grabbed her hand brought her inside. He then looked behind her and saw Toad standing behind her. Understanding set in his eyes and he gave a nod of appreciation.

"Todd," he said kindly and held out his hand; Toad shook it. The next thing he knew a whole round of noise was given as the twins ran out of their room, squealing, Regina's mother chasing after them. She looked up to see Regina standing their and their eyes locked. Hatred not shared but depression mimicked in their eyes.

"YEAY!" the boys yelled and grabbed Toad. They started talking a mile a minute while dragging him off to their room, forgetting about their mother.

Regina didn't move as she looked into her mother's eyes, eyes so beautiful but so unfamiliar. She looked at her hands and noticed the hangnails and the jagged edges, so unlike the sophistication of her mothers. Her father put his arms about her and her mother chose to keep an arms length distance between them, unsure of her purposes. Regina finally looked up and her eyes shimmered like black pools before she opened her mouth.

"Why?"


	16. Momma's Tale

**HELLO EVERYONE! THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!**

I took a test to see if my character was Mary Suish and turns out I was border line!

Whew! Let's hope I don't do that again!

But on to the final chapters of my tale of woe!

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Regina sat down on the couch and looked about the room as her mother made her way to the armchair opposite of her. They had moved the television from its original place, changes already occurring. She looked next to the couch and saw a picture of her, Toad and the twins making stupid faces. She was surprised that her father had so quickly accepted him into their lives. She was not sure if it was because of genuine liking or because Regina had neglected herself of having anyone close to her. Whatever the reason, it was comforting to know that she had people who cared about her in her life. She was strong enough to deal with this new situation; she would be able to deal with it. Everything seemed to flow by so quickly, but she knew that all she had to do was hold on a little longer.

"Okay mom…" Regina said, her voice wavered and she cursed herself for seeming so weak. Her father stood beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. Why was he not besides her mother? Why was he not encouraging the woman that he praised so much? She decided to stop questioning his actions; she should merely be comforted by his support. "G'ahead."

"Okay Regina…I just want you to remember m'ija…that these aren't excuses. You asking me why and I am going to respond…okay?" Her mother asked. Regina nodded her in response. She swore to herself that she would not interrupt, no matter how ridiculous her story may be. She would not interrupt even if she heard her mother come out with a self-righteous sob story about how she could not help herself because she was afraid, etcetera etcetera!

" Regina…I didn't want to be a mother…I didn't want to be married and I wanted nothing to do with the family I had helped create," her mother said without remorse. Regina's face changed as she heard her mother say something so venomous without conviction. Was this lady insane? How could she say something so cruel? How could you create a family and not love something that was a part of you.

"I just wanted to get away from my mother. Your father was my high school sweet heart. We went to separate schools and had a mutual understanding that we would date other people while we were officially together. I wanted to bad to go to the military and make something of myself. But my mother had a stronghold over me. My two older sisters had gone away and I was the only one left to deal with her. The only way I would be able to leave my house was to get married and I begged your father to marry me. He wanted to wait until he finished college but I didn't wanna wait. I just wanted to escape from home.

"The night of our honey moon I got pregnant with your older brother. I was so angry at your father for that. I was sure that me being on the pill was enough but turned out that it wasn't. I had to work because your father couldn't afford to pay the rent on his own and that made me angrier but I tried to hide my disappointment. It didn't last too long because only three months after giving birth to your brother I got pregnant again. I know now that it was my fault for not making better use of protection but at the time it was always your father's fault. After that I found myself not only with your brothers but pregnant with you as well.

"Three years of my life and I had nothing but a workaholic husband and a few kids to show what I've done with that time. I'm sorry Regina but I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't stand the idea of being in such a simple state of life. The first time I left I was having an affair with the dentist I worked for down in Manhattan. We would get together a couple of nights a week and I'd leave you guys at home with your father while I did my thing. When I found out I was pregnant with the twins I was afraid to come home. It was the only time I was afraid of your father and as you can see, he's the kindest man out there.

"That was the last night I slept home, I gathered my things and didn't come back for a long time. I stayed at the office in an upstairs room, basically playing chia (girlfriend) to my married boss and when I was nearing my time of birthing the twins he kicked me out. He didn't want anything to do with me; he even denied that he was the father, after taking care of me for those nine months. I ended up going straight to the hospital and giving birth to the twins. After a few days…I had no choice but to go back home to your dad and he didn't even ask me if they were his, which I knew he didn't. He just took them in as his own.

"When you and your brothers came running to me I was terrified. I had expected animosity from you guys, especially your father. But the first thing he told me when I walked through the door was, "Nos hiciste falta." To hear him tell me that I was missed was not cool. I freaked out that night. I thought that maybe it was just some kind of plan. I'm an idiot Regina, your one hundred percent right."

Regina did not reply. She sensed her mother's sincerity, but she was not willing to forgive her for the way she treated her family regardless of her honesty. Regina continued to remain silent, the warmth of her father's hand brining a sense of lightness to the situation. A soft giggle escaped from the twin's room to the living room and she brought her senses back to reality as her mother continued her story.

"After I left you guys again, I went to my mother's house. The most painful thing was to go home and see my dad on the couch. I didn't know what to say then. I was running away from you guys, just like my dad ran away from us when I was a kid. My mom was all smiles as if the whole world had become perfect, but here I was looking at the man I had resented for years."

At this point Regina could not help but let tears flow from her eyes. Her mother's voice was full of the same pain and distress she had felt upon seeing her mother's return. Regina then heard her mother begin to weep and together they sobbed for their own personal pains being brought out on the table. Regina's mother continued to speak and struggled to keep her words coherent.

"When I saw my dad I cursed him out so bad. I told him everything that I felt about him, I even called him names I had called him as a child. I waited everyday for him to come back home just like I know you and the boys probably did. I didn't want anything to do with him, nothing at all. But your grandma told me to kill it. She knew he was there to stay and so did I.

"Because I had no place left to go I decided to give him a break. He told me about what happened to him. Story as old as time Gina…full of selfishness and boredom…It took me all these years to let it go. I left my mother's house when I came home excited to tell my father about going back to school, to find out he had a stroke. He's immobile now. I came back because I didn't want it to be too late, even though it may be for you…

"I don't wanna start over…I don't wanna start fresh and suddenly become the perfect mother as if the past hadn't happened. I just wanna do the right thing, and right what I've done wrong. I'm ready to have a family and while it shouldn't have been on my time, its now that I realize that I missed all the important things in your lives. Even the things I've witnessed, like your first step, your first word, I missed them, because I didn't value them as I should have.

" Regina…I just want you to try and if you can't then…we'll work out a way that I won't impose on you…I promise…I just wanna try…"

"How could you ask that from me?! How could you ask me to give you a chance when all you've gotten where chances?! A billion chances to be a good mom, and you failed every time! What makes now different?!" Regina sputtered through tears. Her face was wet and she knew she looked horrendous, but she did not care. She did not know what she wanted to happen and she did not know what she wanted to do.

"I gotta get out of here," she said and stood up. Her father stood up and looked down at his daughter; unsure of what to do. He decided not to stop her and took a step back. She walked over to the door and opened it, before leaving she turned back to her mother. Regina looked up, her eyes were large and distraught but her voice was steady as she asked her question. "If you could change the past, would you?"

Her mother looked at her and pondered the question in silence. All Regina wanted was honesty, not a fancy remark. She waited to hear what the answer would be.

"Do you love your father, Regina? Do you love your brothers? Do you love having them in your life?"

Regina nodded her head at her mother's question, for once impatience not getting the best of her.

"If the past had been different, and I woulda done what I had wanted to at the time. You guys wouldn't be here. I rather you hate me now and never want to see me again then know that the love that you have here would never have been."

And with that, Regina walked out of her house; leaving her family, friend and mother behind.


	17. Cleansing Memories

**Awww, thanks you guys for the reviews:**

**Red & Pan, I love you guys!**

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Regina stood in front of her door after walking around her neighborhood for an hour. She had not done much progress in her thinking, instead she had thought over what her mother had told her. She did not want to start fresh; she wanted to continue down a different path. She thought about all the things she had missed out when she did not have a mother.

She had been a tomboy. She loved sports and video games and all those good things. She had learned to cook and keep house through her father who had played both mother and father in the house. She had her first "girl" chat with the nurse before her father had come to pick her up from school due to cramps. She had her first sex talk with the male pharmacist at the corner store when she had picked up her first girly necessities. She had even fallen in love all on her own…

She had fallen in love…she stood there in shock. Her mouth almost hit the floor and her eyebrows her hairline. When did this happen to her? After all the things that she had seen, all of the "love" she had witnessed in her home. Love was trusting someone to fail you…and hoping…yes hoping that they wouldn't. But how could she have done it so easily. And with Todd…a guy who had kept a secret from her. But who was she to judge when she herself had held a secret from him. What kind of love did they have?

Her mind went over the way they had met…

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**_Regina watched in horror as the branch broke and her brother fell straight to the ground. What happened next was unbelievable. A long, green tongue swooped down and tossed her brother back into the air. Then the owner of the tongue jumped high, grabbed her brother by the waist and landed safely on the ground._****_

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Todd Tolansky had leapt into action when someone he didn't know could have gotten seriously injured, or more so, killed. She remembered trying to find him and how he had disappeared. She later learned that he had been embarrassed to help her and now she knew why. He was ridiculed and always embarrassed and it touched her to know that he risked that for some human kid.

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**_"Look, you either come or not, I'm already in deep shit for coming over here without permission so you better make my trip worth while!" She said her normal attitude resurfacing and pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket. She wrote down her address and number and passed it to him. "Be there tomorrow at six," she said and left._**

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She giggled to herself at the ill attitude she had given him. If someone spoke to her like that she probably would've punched them in their face but he on the other hand had given in. She remembered how he was sitting there, almost ready to hop away. A stranger inviting him to their home, it must have been scary. But he had treated her with a decent amount of respect. She remembered looking at his face and his skin and the way he stunk…oh that smell…it wasn't the most pleasant but it was his smell…his smell before he started to take daily baths…

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**_Toad managed to get through the neighborhood, he was a little nervous since Bayville wasn't as crowded. He got to the door and adjusted his pants while straightening up; he heard his vertebrae pop and winced uncomfortably. He adjusted the rose bouquet that he had bought...with stolen money but he bought it nonetheless and knocked on the door. _**

A very angry girl opened it. Toad looked around wondering where Regina was but he gazed appreciatively at the figure before him. Her hair was curled around her shoulders and she had a thin dress that just barely passed her knees. The only thing that disturbed him was the fact that her eyebrows were furrowed making her done up face look extremely pissed off.

"REGINA! STOP BEIN' RUDE!" A mans voice shouted.

"HI TODD! THANKS FOR COMING! MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME!" Regina shouted back. Toad cocked a brow and walked in, he gave her the bouquet silently and she looked at it curiously before giving him a soft smile. "Never got flowers before; thanks." She said and the annoyed look slipped away. Toad grinned and looked around.

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She still had those flowers in her room. They had wilted already but she didn't care. They were his and he had been the first guy to bring her flowers and the first guy to make her feel pretty. He had looked so handsome that day, wearing a suit that brought out those lime-green eyes of his and that wide smile that always made her laugh. He also smelled good…he smelled so nice.

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**_"I was wonderin' if ya wanted to go to the movies with me tomorrow," Toad interrupted. Regina looked at the phone and smiled, her smiled deepened into a grin._**

**_When the movie was halfway over she had pulled the arm of the chair in and leaned back into him, putting her feet on top of the open front seat. She adjusted herself and took in a deep breath before relaxing into his chest. Toad almost stiffened (1) but managed to get himself under control, he had never been so close to a girl. _**

"You know, you smell way better now then you did the day I invited you to my house," she said and Toad wondered if the girl ever had something pleasing come out of her mouth. "Whatever you did you should do more often," she added.

"I bathed," he said simply and looked down at her, she looked up at him and smiled, and he grinned back, showing even yellow teeth. She wondered what color he would be if his mutation hadn't affected his coloring but then brushed it off her mind. She frankly didn't care.

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Oh…that smile, that wonderful smile. That day had been so weird. It was the first time she had dressed herself…well nicely that is. She had picked out something nice to wear just so he would find her attractive. She never let a guy near her, but leaning into him seemed so right. He was so calm and relaxed; when he had filled her in on his nervousness she had been surprised. She wished that she could have been back in that theater and leaning into him. But her mind could not stay on that as more images ran through.

At the same time Toad was in the boys room playing battleship with Jake and Aaron. He couldn't concentrate on anything as his mind wandered to some key moments in his relationship with Regina. He didn't know what was going on out there, but all he hoped was that things were going as they should. It had been more then an hour but he knew her father would get him when it was time. In the meanwhile he relived some precious and weird moments since she had walked into his life.

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**_The Brotherhood boys stood in the middle of the glistening floor and stared in awe at the beauty their house had become. The floor was spotless, the couch had been mended as best as it could, and the air smelled like a mixture of lemonade and wild berries. The sight almost made them cry. Toad buttoned the top of his new shirt and tried to fix his hair. _**

"Touch anythin' and die," was all he said. Everyone's eyes bugged out. He stepped out of the house and Pietro slowly let his finger graze the white wall. He screamed as goop landed on his face. "That goes for all of you." The rest nodded and he once again left.

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Oh…that day…it had taken him all night and four mopping sessions to get that house spotless. Toad…who lived like a pig…who lived with three other pigs…oh geez. Stupid Pietro…trying to win the girl like always but no…she stuck by him. She was so pretty that night and she had looked at him with admiration. She had called him cute, him! Todd Tolansky!

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**_"Not this time!" Toad responded and took the opportunity to grab her wrist with his tongue and unhook his arms. Then her grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, pressing her against the floor with his knee. _**

"That was gross, you cheater!" she said, feeling the slime on her arms. "Ya crack headed monkey!"

Toad stuck his tongue out, a little farther then normal and then let her go. She was too exhausted to move but when she could, she made her way to the bathroom to wash off the gunk on her wrists.

"Didn't it bother you when she said you were gross?" Fred asked and Toad sighed and then gave him a speculative look.

"No…not really. Cause she said what I did was gross, she didn't say I was gross. She's weird, yo. I think she likes me," he said after a beat, for the first time aloud instead of rolling it over in his head.

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The scariest thing he did was admit to himself that she might have liked him. He was safe with Wanda…safe that she had no feelings for him so he didn't mind all of the jabs because he knew to expect them. But with Regina he wasn't sure. Either she was being nice to him or she liked him…maybe she would have gotten grossed out, but he had hoped she did and with Fred unsure, it wasn't much of a support system. But what could he expect from a human? And a girl as it is?

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**_What's she doing here?!" Scott shouted. Regina turned towards him and wobbled as the ground beneath her feet shook. She tried to run but continued to trip over her feet. She heard a shout and saw Toad run towards her. He grabbed her and pulled her away. She saw another red beam shoot towards him and screamed as he grabbed her by the waist and landed on a tree._**

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That had terrified him…she could have been hurt or killed! All he thought about during that battle was making sure that she was safe. It was then that he realized he couldn't put her in that predicament. She should have known that that was his daily living. When he had heard Scott shout, he did whatever came to his mind to get her safe. That battle was like a spiral to hell.

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**_Toad was not a happy camper. He was lying in his bed with a bump on his forehead and his whole body was a mess of cuts. He looked over at the luggage on the side of his room and banged the wall beside him. He wasn't just going to sit there and let the X geeks mess her up. He got up and made his way down the stairs but was knocked out of the way by Pietro._**

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The X House…the last place he would have wanted her to go. He had not thought of the repercussions of going there, instead he had merely wanted to help her out. He wanted to protect her, not that Xavier would do anything bad to her…so then…he wanted to protect himself and her image of him. It had been a selfish act but one he pulled none the less. He wanted to keep her to himself and that image she had of him; an image that he never held.

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**_Toad turned to see Regina crouched at a corner trying to make sure she stayed out of the chaos. He noticed that she was clothes free and angrily asked her what happened._**

"_**I-I don't know!" She shouted. "That blue bastard had this weird needle in his hand and had all of these plugs on me!" Toad looked over at the 'blue bastard' and saw Mr. McCoy trying to protect the professor. Toad's mouthed shaped into a tiny o and he paled a little at the thought of her ever finding out who the real bad guys were.**_

_**Toad…" Lance said.**_

"_**Yeah?" Toad replied.**_

"_**Ya gotta tell her, man…" Lance said; he looked at Toad grimace. "If you don't, the X geeks'll get to her first and then she'll be real pissed."**_

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That day was so messed up…the fact that she thought Dr. McCoy was evil was too much to bear. He knew they'd laugh about it later but it just showed how deep in a lie he was. Even Lance felt bad for not telling her the truth…but he had to admit…they had trounced the X men pretty good that day…something that did not happen easily. Perhaps they should use that tactic more often…

In the meantime Regina was still outside of the door. Her mind was coming to a close but she still couldn't give in to the turning of the key while she thought of the last few things she had gone through…things that had forced her to stop being selfish. She had tried to protect herself so heavily and to no avail…she had begun to trust him…but while she trusted him…she had lied to him as well.

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_"**Ve are here to tell you that ve are not the bad guys. The brotherhood is," he responded. Regina sneered and this time she made her way out of the group, semi-violently as she shoved them out of her way. "Just hear vhat ve have to say," Kurt shouted. She just kept on walking, the questions continuously growing in her head. She just couldn't deal with it now, she didn't want to.**_

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They hadn't been the bad guys at all…they ahd been the good guys…trying to protect her from the baddies…Baddies that she knew weren't bad at all…well they were bad…they attacked people and stuff but…but she could understand why. The same reason that she got failing grades in school, the same reason why she got into fights and sent to the principles office, the same reason she tagged the walls and probably assisted in some graffiti on the trains and buses. Because she felt like she wasn't important, as if there was nothing that she did that would matter to anyone. She had people who loved her but the one person who didn't was enough to turn her whole world into chaos. And the one person who did had lied...

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**_"Look Reggie..I'm just real sorry 'bout-," she cut him off quick._**

"_**We're gonna make somethin' clear. I don't give a shit if your past life was full of stealin' and fightin' and all that good stuff, what I do care 'bout is bein' lied to. I never, ever trusted anyone the way I trusted you and the first thing ya do is lie. Why?" Her nose turned red and she was afraid she was going to cry. She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest.**_

_**Talk to me…" he said. He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. She looked up at him and remembered something important.**_

"_**I lied to you…" she said. Toad narrowed his pale green eyes.**_

"_**What?" he asked; remembering her little speech.**_

"_**My...my mom's back at home. She wants to be a part of our lives again. She's not dead in the flesh, but she's dead to me…I love my pops. But I don't wanna go home right now. I don't wanna stay here. I wanna go with you. I just wanna go with you," she said and flung herself at him. He had it in him to tell her off for giving him a hard time when she held on to her own little lie but figured that it wasn't the time.**_

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And exactly what he had done to her she had done to him. What kind of person was she that she would lie to him like that? She said all that nonsense about trust but she didn't trust him the way she knew she should have. Even then…she hadn't told him the truth when she had the chance. She had been so wrong. And yet…the night that he had told her to confront this demon in her life…he had never left her…

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"_**If my moms came back to me…I don't care if she sold me, gave me away, left me in a street corner or whatever. I would wanna talk to her; see why she did it and all that stuff. Just do this for me…for you. Just make sure that what you think happened is right. I'll go with you…we'll go tomorrow…"**_

_**Regina started to shake her head no but lunged herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her and began to rock back and forth. He wondered if she thought he would be sending her off alone. He would be there for her, he would stand by her while she faced this huge black spot in her life and in the end he would be there for her, no matter the outcome. Regina pulled away, her black hair wild about her face.**_

"_**Will you be there?" she asked him, her voice small and fearful like a little kid on their first day of school.**_

"_**Always," Toad said and kissed her on her forehead. She snuggled up into him in fear of the tomorrow and there fell asleep. He didn't budge from there, instead trying to exert in her the strength that he had left, just to add to her own.**_

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He had held her in his arms all night. If that wasn't love she didn't know what was. He had protected her from all harm and one little lie, one lie that she had told, one that he had told was just one next to the many truths and actions that he had proven. Her mother had failed her and she knew that but she was only human and while she would not forgive her so easily and she knew that she would be angry more often then not. If Todd was by her side…then she could do anything and face anything. But only then.

Regina turned the lock on the door and looked into the living room. There on the couch was her mom and dad holding hands; it looked as if they were praying. Her mother looked up and stared into Regina's eyes. Regina didn't say anything while she stared at them both. She just locked the door behind her and walked into the living room. Her hair disheveled and her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

"Let me go to my room for a sec…" Regina said and went to her bedroom. Alls he needed was five minutes and she would do what she knew she should do, had to do, to truly be free to love without pain, without remorse and without the walls that she had slowly built up through out the years.


	18. Battle Ship and a Busted Chin

**Hi Guys!**

**Pan: Oooh much love flowing here. I'm glad you liked it. I wanted us to remember why we love Toad.**

**Red: I figured I should add the flashbacks since I forgot and I was sure most forgot what the heck happened! Lol.**

**Matthias: OMG! You make me feel guilty about walking into the sunset…well we'll just have to change that huh? I wish you would post some fics! Go ahead, Mines were awful when I first started, you wouldn't believe all the flames I get now for the crap I write. (I tended to be offensive in one…)**

**Ban'yamuwoezu: I think your name is soooooooo cool! I know…I died and resuscitated. I disappeared a lot since a lot of stuff was going on. But I am so in love with X Men, I can't leave it alone for too long a time!**

**On with the tale!**

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Regina made her way to the bedroom and saw Todd sitting on the floor with her brothers. She leaned against the wall and watched his back which was towards her. When her brothers looked up she told them to hush with her finger. Quickly their eyes averted their gaze and they continued to play battleship. She thrived on the concept of seeing her friend get so well along with her family.

Her friend…her friend? Was he really just that to her? Had she really not grown at all? Only a baby would try to convince herself that this guy who had befriended her when she had no friends at all… Who had shown her care when she was fighting it with all she had… Only a baby would call him her friend. He surely was more then that. He had to be more. With all the love she had found at home, nothing was able to make her forget the damage her mother had done. But he had broken that need to run away and she trusted that he would do that for her whenever she needed. He ran away from his problems, but he would never let her do the same. Mayhap she would learn to help him stand up for his own rights.

He used his tapered fingers to brush his dirty blonde hair back from his face as he tried to figure out where her brother's battleship was. She could imagine his eyes narrowing in concentration and his tongue sticking out from between his lips as he figured out what to do. He honestly was a dork, but he was definitely hers and she didn't want to lose him because she wanted to be unprepared like her dear mother was. She wanted to have him in her life and she would take the first step to make it happen.

When he missed their battleship she quietly walked behind him and looked at her brothers. They cocked their heads to the side as she mouthed E-5. The kids gave each other high fives and sunk Todd's battleship. He jumped up with a cry of anguish and ended up chucking Regina under the chin, causing her to bite her tongue. She fell back in agony and Todd turned around swiftly. He panicked when he saw the blood that spilt from her mouth.

"Ah geez! Whad'ya stand behind me for Reggie? Ah man! Guys get your pops!" He told them. The kids ran to their dad and their father ran in with a bag of ice. Regina put it under her chin and glared at Todd who blushed a beautiful shade of lime. The kids started to giggle as he attempted to stutter an apology. "I- I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."

"She'll survive," Her father told him and gave him a wink. "What happened?"

"Well Papi," Aaron began. "You see…what happened was that Todd was sitting down on the floor with us and we were playing battleship and then Reggie went behind him-." He got cut off by Jake who continued. "And while Reggie was behind him she cheated for us and told us where his battleship was and we killed him and sunk his battleship but then Toad got all sad and his depression caused him to leap up high into the air-" He was then cut off by an equally dramatic Aaron who continued on with much fervor. "And that was where Regina met her doom and her mouth completely became destroyed…causing her to never speak again…"

"Okay guys…I think that's enough Star War movies for you!" Their mom said. The kids gave her a smile as she took them to her room, leaving the others alone. She knew that Regina would come to her when ready. If she had not been asked to leave then she would wait to find out her sentence later. But for now she would take advantage of the time she had with her sons. They would all be going out that night, just her and the boys at her eldest son's request. She knew she had much questions to answer. But after Regina's confrontation, she would be able to face whatever came her way. She wasn't the best mother but at least she was an honest one.

After five minutes, the bleeding finally stopped and Todd waited in the living room while Regina washed up at her face and left to change her blood soaked clothes. Todd noticed her father giving him a smile out of his peripheral vision and locked his yellow eyes with her fathers, eyes that reminded him of her…except not as cute. He shook his head subconsciously and waited to hear what her dad had to say. After a few seconds he finally spoke.

"I have always been very worried about my little girl at her school. I never let her out the house or allowed to her to go on group trips because it's very, very crazy over here. You see…I don't know if you've noticed but Regina is a bit of a hot head don't you think?" At Todd's fervent nod, her father laughed. "Well, I was always afraid she would get herself into trouble. She never made friends because of her bad attitude and while we have a close family, sometimes you need others to influence your life. Now I wanted to know…how important she is to you…"

Todd thought very hard before answering. He didn't know what to say. Was he supposed to mention the way that his heart beat every time she looked his way, whether she gave him a warm smile or when she passed him a glare? The way she wrinkled her nose when he did something gross? The way she so easily fit in with the brotherhood back home? Or the way she kicked butt without any remorse? He wasn't sure if her dad would appreciate that so he just replied as simply as he could.

"She's real important t'me…" he took in a breath to say something else but changed his mind. "I dunno how t'explain how much. You'd just havfta believe that I'd do anythin' that she needed, even it meant leavin' her alone…" He was surprised that he said that aloud, but maybe in the back of his mind that was his supreme worry; that her father's wish was for her to leave Regina alone. Whatever happened, he would always keep an eye out for her, even if he wasn't involved in her life.

"All right Todd…I want you to give this to her after she speaks to you. I heard both of you speaking of it and I made a very important decision that would be of the most benefit to her," he said solemnly. He stood up and went into his room where his wife and kids had entered just moments before.

Todd bit his lip and looked at the envelope in his hands when he looked up to find Regina standing in front of him. He took a deep breath as he took in her appearance. For someone who always looked straight out of the hood she cleaned up rather nicely. She wore a green shirt with short puffy sleeves and a pair of fitted jeans, but her trusty worn out converse was still in play. She had tied her hair back in order to look more conservative but all he noticed where the wide eyes and stubborn chin that didn't hide her smile at all.

"Todd...I…I wanted to tell you that…I spoke to my mom and I'm gonna give her a break," she said nervously, but then her eyebrows furrowed and she stiffened up severely. "But just a small one, if she screws that up then she can go fly a kite, I swear!"

"Sounds good," he replied, unsure of what to say. He saw something in her eyes but she was trying so hard to keep herself calm that he couldn't read it. "G'ahead, spit it out sweet cheeks."

"I am not sweet cheeks, loser!" she replied to him, a little bit of her feisty attitude reappearing. She narrowed her eyes at his and he returned the gaze. They headed straight for each other. Toad grabbed her right arm with his left one and pushed her in so that her back was to his. Using his knee he managed to get her to almost stumble forward and was about to use his left hand to give her a noogie when she took his right arm with her left and tripped forward in order to bring him crashing down beside her. She pinned him down and looked at his face, her heavy bangs grazing his forehead. They were eyes to eyes, cheek to cheek, nose to nose and chin to chin.

"So…" Regina asked him, her eyes wide with innocence. "What happens now?"

"I dunno…I don't think much, I act on instinct," Toad replied, unsure of what to do next even though he knew what he wanted to do. He licked his lips and was about to lean up when she suddenly jumped off of him and picked up the envelope with her name on it; it had fallen off his lap to the floor during their mock noogie battle. He didn't say anything as she looked at him and then slit the tape open with her fingernail. He stood up and waited in front of her watching her eyes quickly scan the paper and they soon welled up with tears as her nose burned red. "Is…is everythin' all right?"

"Dude! Ah man! Ah Man!" she said and held the paper open in front of his eyes. He immediately scanned across it and looked at the writing before him:

"Dear Regina Cruz,

Bla bla bla… was all he read so far

After much deliberation you have been accepted to attend Bayville High at the next quarter. It will begin in two weeks time. We hope to warmly receive your presence there.

Respectfully Yours,

Principal Edward Kelly"

Todd did not say anything as he looked at the paper in her hand. He would get to keep seeing her. He would get to see her every day, or almost every day. He didn't say anything as she shoved the paper excitedly back into the envelope and made her way over to her parents room, but just as she was about to knock on the door, she stopped. She slowly turned around and looked at him. Her lips slowly drew up into a smile and she used her palm to hit her forehead.

"Ah man…now I remember what was supposed to happen…" she said. Toad cocked his head to the side as he stared at her. She marched across the room, heading straight towards him and he backed up, afraid of a beat down. She then whispered to herself, "Now let's see if this works."

Todd saw stars as her lips finally met his after all that time. She didn't move, nor did she force any more action. It was as forceful as any kiss known to man and to the depths of Gone with the Wind, if anyone so inclined. But he surely saw the fireworks as she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted one on him that made his toes curl. When she pulled back, she gave him a warm smile and then headed back to her parents room, disappearing on the other side of the door. She left him in a daze…

A daze until he looked at the door and saw her three brothers with their arms crossed at the door. He took in a deep gulp and heavily sat on the armchair behind him. They walked across the room and sat down in the sofa across from the armchair. No one said a word…and all he knew was that he wouldn't deny what happened. In fact, he couldn't, it was written all across his face and all he hoped was that it wouldn't be alongside of a black eye…


	19. Fitting Right In

If this were a movie, everything would slow down as the Brotherhood made their way down the hall. They would have their own personal soundtrack that would be along the lines of urban rap…or hard rock whichever one an individual preferred. They would look straight ahead as their bodies stood menacingly tall and whoever got in their way would get shoved back into proper position. Eyes would widen and escaped gasps would be echoed throughout the rooms at the sight of such fearless and respected creatures. To sum it up, it would probably look like a bad eighties movie but it would have fit the mood just right. The bad asses were back and they would walk with a vengeance ready wherever and whenever. But such preparation was shared along with another group of teens that also held their footings in this world.

As the Brotherhood caused whiplash with their entrance, the X men stood on the opposite side, their heads cocked in confusion at the sight before them. There stood the misfits of Bayville high with a new member to their crew, holding Toad's hand in pride. The guys surrounded her as if she were to be protected but it also looked like she was watching their backs, a sense of unity that had never existed between them was now emanating. They stood to the side with their arms crossed and observed the situation, the closer that their enemies were the better they would fight and this they knew. They momentarily caught the dark eyes of the newest addition and she received them with an evil eye, a warm-hearted finger and a mockingly blown kiss.

Regina's face was just as mean as it had always been, just with a hidden glint her eye that the only one who would ever understand was Toad. Her chin jutted out in pride towards her friends, a group of people who had been misunderstood but who she had gotten to know. She would have their backs whether they knew it or not and she knew she would hold her own whatever it may be. This group was exactly what everybody needed, perfect in her eyes as the sweetest sunrise. People who liked you for who you are and not who they think you could be or what you had. She did not know much about the X-geeks, one or two words of kindess towards her did not win anyone any brownie points. There was no hard decision on which side she would rather be on. She linked her arm through Toad's and wiggled her brows at his embarrassed face. He then pulled her close to his side as they marched down the hall, ready to conquer the world.

"Ze end of ze vorld is nigh," Kurt said quietly as they watched each of the Brotherhood walk by, glaring at them as they passed. He would never understand how in Hefner's name did Toad ever get a girl and he was still single. He was sure everyone else was thinking the same way and decided to pretend that the world had not just turned upside down. He was still the hottest fuzz ball of all and would one day win Kitty's heart, if Toad could get one girl than Kurt could do anything. But his thought was interrupted when Duncan decided to get his head a minute out of his rear to comment at the team.

"What are you nerds doing passing through the front entrance? The losers come in through the back door," Duncan said and put his finger to Toad's chest, pushing him back a tad. "Just the way you like it."

Toad held face as he smacked Duncan's hand out of his way much to Duncan's surprise. The room grew quiet, knowing how this situation would end and it definitely would not be a simple locker encasement. Duncan stepped up to Toad and bumped him with his body, knocking Toad to the side and then spitting in his direction, narrowly missing his face. That had been the final straw, Regina never waited for an opportunity she made them happen.

Jean's eyes widened when she saw Regina step up to Duncan's face, if she knew one thing, she knew that Duncan did not give a rat's ass if it were a boy or girl, he would do what he had to do to keep level. She should have stopped it by then but a suspicion had been made my Professor Xavier the night they had taken her to the medical ward and had confirmed their thoughts of the signs and symptoms of a dormant gene. Instead, she played the innocent bystander when Regina grabbed his hand with her left and closed her fingers around his. Her black eyes narrowed as she grew closer to him, her face so close to his it would have been a make out session any other day.

"Don't look at his face, don't go near him and don't ever talk to him like that again or I will whoop yer ass so bad that you'll be drinking pedialite out of a straw for the next year," she growled. He then stepped closer to her and gave her a look while he squeezed her fingers between his causing her pain, she narrowed her eyes and suddenly his shouts were heard as he held his hand to his chest. He momentarily held it up and displayed its bright red color as well as a colorless gel that dripped from it. "Don't get at me again," she said, acidly and strolled away, everyone (including her friends) unsure of what had gone on. But Jean heard her thoughts, Regina had projected her acidic emotions of wishing she could melt the smile off his face and while she had an unconscious sense of control that most new mutants did not have, if she continued to not realize the power that she had been granted, she would hurt someone.

"That little-," Duncan began as a rampage before heading to the nurses office and Jean narrowed her eyes re-arranging his mind of what had gone on, at least a little. She was purely disgusted at the images she had to run around to get to that particular memory and for a second allowed her own thoughts to cut loose, echoing in the minds of her team who gave her a tiny smile of agreement. If only Regina would have held on just a tad longer. Just a little bit.

"She is going to be trouble," Scott said, staring at the happy couple enter their homeroom. Rogue gave him a smirk and closed her locker door; she had to get to class as well.

"Ah guess that means she'll fit right in with the Brotherhood."

* * *

**Okay, this was the last installment. Sigh. I love you guys, sorry for the bad chapters. I hope to one day re-introduce Regina in a story. She really was fun while she lasted.**


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